Never Let Me Go
by mAu0103
Summary: Naley continuation of season 9. Series of rotating one shots, inspired by Diamond Gothic. See AN inside for better description.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer; Characters, minor plot points, and dialogue belong to CW/WB, Mark Schwahn, and One Tree Hill writers.

**AN #1**; First of all; this is an **extension of Kat0507's "Everything"**, so I strongly advise you to read that, before you start reading this.

Secondly; This is going to be a **rotating feature** by me and Kat0507 (inspired by Diamond Gothic) - with the possibility of occasional guest authors, but we'll let you know when and who, when it comes to that. This will basically be "one story", which, as for now will be composed of random one shots, on two different accounts, in which the next chapter will be posted by Kat0507 on her account - so if you already don't have her on author alert, you probably should - in order to get the alert for chapter 2. Then I will post #3, and so on...and please keep in mind that this is new to us, so we don't know yet if this will work out or whether it'll be good - so please bear with us - but we're willing to give it a shot to keep Naley alive after the dreadful upcoming series finale on Wednesday.  
>If any of you getare confused or have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! We're also available on twitter ( mAu0103 & Kat0507).

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Haley took one last round around the café, to check that she had remembered to switch off every machine and light, before she headed over to the door and walked outside. She made sure the door was locked and secured, and then turned around and slowly walked across the street to where she had parked the Range Rover.

She had talked to Nathan on the phone earlier, who'd told her that he and Jamie were on their way back home from the camping trip. He'd also told her that he would get Lydia from Clay and Quinn's, so she didn't have to worry about that after she was done closing up the café.

A mixed feeling of joy and excitement swirled through her, when she thought about her boys, and that they would be waiting for her when she came home. It had been hard to let them go on this trip in the first place, but she knew how much Jamie needed this after Dan's funeral, so she had reluctantly agreed to let them go for a few days.

She'd found it extremely difficult in particular, to let go of Nathan, when they had said their goodbyes, and Nathan practically had to pry her away from him as she'd clutched herself to him. She had even shed a few tears when she watched them drive away.

She got into the car with a big smile on her face. She was more than ready to spend the rest of the night with her two favorite guys, and her little princess. Her heart swelled by the thought of the three of them, as she slowly pulled out from the curb, finally on her way home to the people that gave her everything and more than she could possibly dream of.

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><p>"Nathan?" Haley pushed the door closed behind her, and halted for a second when she was met with nothing but silence.<p>

Usually either Jamie or even Lydia came running, or in Lydia's case, wobbling towards her the minute she entered the house. The silence that spread throughout the house made her cringe her nose as she walked further into the room, and dropped her purse at the coffee table.

When she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she gasped and placed her hand over her chest, when she saw Nathan standing by the island with a single purple wildflower in his hand, surrounded by candlelights that were scattered around the kitchen. The glow of the candles, made his smiling eyes sparkle, and she felt her breath got caught in the back of her throat.

She glanced around the kitchen and noticed two bowls on the kitchen counter next to two glasses of wine. She felt her eyes tearing up, and moved her gaze back to her husband.

"What is all this?" She spoke softly and met his eyes.

When Nathan started to walk towards her, she felt her heart rate pick up in speed. And when he came close enough, so he was hovering above her, she felt her head started to spin by the invading scents of his cologne.

Nathan leaned down and placed a lingering kiss at the angle of her jaw, right in front of her ear, and held up the flower at her when he pulled back.

"Now that I've been taking care of our son, I thought it was time to take care of my girl." He spoke low and smiled softly at her.

Haley clutched her hand that was still on top of her chest and let out a soundless sigh, as the tingles spread from the spot where he'd kissed her, down her neck and throughout her entire body.

She moved her eyes to the flower in his hand. The flower that was the symbol of their love. Every time she saw those flowers, her mind went back to that special day at the beach. The day they gave each other their hearts and promised to love and cherish each other until the end of time. The memory slowly formed a lump in the back of her throat, and she had to swallow to keep herself from letting out a sob.

She raised her gaze and looked at Nathan. His face was still evident of the previous nightmare he'd been through, with the fading bruise and the scar at his upper cheekbone. But he was still the most beautiful man she had ever laid her eyes on.

"Thank you." She smiled and accepted the flower from him.

She moved her other hand and placed it on his upper arm, and rubbed it gently up and down, as she raised on her tip toes to give him a kiss.

When she pulled back, she darted her eyes over his shoulder when she felt her stomach starting to growl.

"So what did you make me?" She asked and smiled mischievously at him.

Nathan let out a chuckle and took one step back. He went over to the counter and pulled out one of the stools and mimicked her to come over and take a seat.

"Well, seeing as this is your night, it was only fair that I made you your favorite." He smiled when he saw her eyes light up and lick her lips, as she made her way over to him.

"Besides, this is the only dish I know how to make, or mess up the least. So it was either this or takeout, but I figured I should go for the more romantic choice - you know, the food of the Gods."

Haley chuckled and turned her body so she was facing Nathan, that had already taken a seat next to her by the counter.

"I love it! Thank you, Nathan." She said and placed her hand on his thigh.

"Anything for you, Hales." He smiled back. "But let's dig in, before it gets cold. Wouldn't want this delicacy to go to waste." He added and winked at her.

Haley giggled and turned around to her bowl of favorite food. "Mmm, it looks delicious." She said and didn't waste any time, as she grabbed her fork and started to eat.

They both sat in a comfortable silence while they ate, only with the occasional moans that escaped Haley as she practically inhaled her food.

When she'd finished her bowl, she picked up her wine glass and looked over at Nathan, who were leaned back in his stool with a huge grin spread across his face. His eyes were following her every move, and when she lifted her glass, he reached for his own and held it up in front of her.

"Cheers, baby." He chuckled and clinked the glasses before they both took a sip of the cool, white, liquid.

"So, when you said that you were going to pick up Lydia, you really meant dropping Jamie off, right?" Haley more stated than actually asking, as she placed her glass down.

"See, there's a reason to why they call you tutor girl. Nothing gets by you." Nathan joked and smirked at her.

"Ha-ha, you're so funny." She deadpanned and shoved him lightly in his shoulder.

"How's he doing, by the way? Jamie, I mean." Haley turned serious and gave Nathan a worried look.

"He's going to be fine. He's a tough kid, just like his mom." Nathan spoke softly and took a hold of her hand. "He misses him though." He added and looked down in his lap.

Haley sighed by the the somber tone in Nathan's voice. She knew he was hurting too, not only by losing Dan - his father - but she knew he was still dealing with everything concerning the kidnapping. It would take time to process everything that had happened, before he could put it behind him and move on.

She placed her other hand on top of his and softly stroked his knuckles. Her heart started to ache when Nathan looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Are you okay, baby?" She asked carefully and gave him a look to let him know that she was here for him, even though she'd already told him a thousand times.

Nathan let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a second.

"No, but I will be." He met her soft, kind eyes and gave her half a smile.

Haley felt the tears starting to form behind her eyes, but blinked them quickly away before she leaned in and put her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly at his cheek and nuzzled her face at the side of his neck.

"I'm here, Nathan. Always and Forever." She whispered low, and held him tight.

Nathan put his arms around her and placed a kiss at her temple. "I know you are. Thank you, Hales." He breathed out, and let the wonderful feeling of holding his wife in his arms seep into his body.

She always had a way of making him feel better. Whether it was with a simple look, her comforting words, or by the feeling of her gentle touches.

He fanned his fingers out, flat on her back and rubbed them lightly up and down. He felt the curves of her body as he moved his hand to her sides, and couldn't help but think about how slim she'd already gotten, after she'd given birth to their baby girl not that long ago. He moved his hands down to her waist and pulled himself back to look at her.

"Are you ready for your next surprise?" He asked her and raised his eyebrow.

"Nathan, you don't have to do that. We can just…" Haley started but got interrupted by Nathan.

"Hales, I told you that this is your night. You need it just as much as anyone else, if not even more. So please, just relax and let me take care of you tonight." He said and moved his hands on top of her thighs.

"Well, if you insist." She smiled and dragged her hand through her loose curls. "I guess it's kind of nice to have a night just the two of us. Even though I miss my babies." She frowned.

Nathan chuckled softly and got up from the stool. He took a hold of Haley's hand and turned around to head for the stairs. But stopped himself and looked back at Haley that was still sitting at the stool.

"Come here now, you dork. They'll be back tomorrow and probably down your throat before you even know it. And then you'll be thankful that I planned this evening for us, to spend alone - no dirty diapers, formula or playstation - it'll be you and me - husband and the wife with an serious ass." He said and changed the tone of his voice at the end, before he tugged at her hand until she got on her feet.

Haley laughed softly at him as she followed him towards the stairs. She had to give him credit for his efforts and dedication to make her relax and simply enjoy the time they had together. Not that she really needed any convincing to spend some quality time with him, especially after everything they'd been through. She'd found herself to be extra clingy and needy around him ever since he'd returned back home. Somehow she felt like she still needed the physical reassurance that it wasn't all just a dream, that he was actually here with her. With them.

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><p>When they had arrived upstairs to their bedroom, he had placed her firmly at the edge of their bed, and instructed her to stay put until he came back out to get her. She had waited impatiently, as always, while he was in the bathroom suite and finished whatever it was that he had prepared.<p>

He came out and got her eventually, after what Haley thought took forever, but in reality it was probably just five or ten minutes, tops.

Now, she was comfortably leaned back into Nathan's chest, in between his legs with his arms securely around her. She traced her fingers across his forearms that were resting at her stomach. She loved the feeling of his soft skin under her fingertips, which covered the amazingly structures of his solid, strong muscles.

She felt Nathan's warm breath at the side of her neck and let her eyes wander around the room again. She smiled softly to herself at the beautiful setting. The candlelights, that set the romantic atmosphere which softly illuminated the room, as he had dimmed the spot-lights almost all the way down. The wine cooler with a bottle of champagne which, according to the taste of it, couldn't be anything else but an expensive one. And then on top of it all, he'd arranged a silver plate with chocolate covered strawberries, and her all time favorite - ho-hoes. She really had the most amazing, and loving husband ever.

She felt Nathan move his leg and bend it, so that his knee became visible above the bubble covered surface of the hot water.

"Does it hurt? Do you want to get out of here?" She asked with worry, when she heard a low grunt escape him.

"No, it's fine. I just have to move it from time to time, otherwise it'll get stiff and sore if I keep it still for too long." He spoke low and fanned his fingers out over her hip bone, causing her to shiver.

Haley nodded silently and moved her hand to his thigh. She carefully stroked her hand up to his angled knee, and traced her fingers around his knee cap, before she moved it back down.

"How did it go with Lydia and Logan, by the way? Isn't he the the most adorable little boy ever?" Haley then said and smiled, as her mind, once again, wandered back to her little girl. She always found herself thinking about her children, whenever they weren't around. She just couldn't help herself, they would always be the first thing she thought about when she woke up in the morning, and the last thought before she went to sleep. As a mother, they were her priority. Her life. And Nathan, of course. If it wasn't for him, she would never have had the two most important things in her life, which was something she was having a hard time picturing.

"He's totally a mini-Clay." Nathan said and let out a soft chuckle. "And it looked like they were already good friends. Logan was showing Lydia one of his planes when I got there. I was almost unnoticed, and nearly missed my kiss, because she was so engrossed in what Logan was telling her."

"Aww, I'm sorry, baby. You know how easily distracted they can be at that age, you shouldn't take it personally." She spoke soothingly when she picked up the slightest hurt in his tone. "I know how much she loves and adores her dad." She added and found his hand and intertwined their fingers.

"I know." Nathan sighed and placed a kiss at the top of her head. "I've already missed so much, and when I think about how close I was to never…" He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence as a big lump formed in the back of his throat.

Haley closed her eyes and felt her chest constrict by the weakness of his voice. She let out a silent sigh, sat up straight and turned her upper body to face him. She palmed his cheek and looked him in the eyes.

"You're here now, and that's all that matters." She moved her hand around his neck and hugged him tightly. She rubbed her hand up and down the back of his head, feeling the short hairs of his buzzed cut tickle the palm of her hand. She breathed out and left a soft kiss right under his ear.

Nathan closed his eyes, and once again, he let Haley's soothing words and soft touches radiate through his body, making the hurt and the fear inside of him slowly dissolve. The thought of never seeing his family again, never get the chance to hold them, and miss the chance to see his children grow into two amazing, mixed versions of Haley and himself, made an excruciating pain rush throughout his entire body. It suffocated him. But the woman he was holding in his arms right now, made it all go away. She had a way of always calm him down, with the immensity of her love, her kindness, and the stillness of her warm, big soul. She was his rock, and she always would be.

Haley kissed his neck one more time and placed her head on his shoulder.

"You know, we should invite everybody over here and maybe put a few steaks on the grill. I really want to get to know Logan better. And I'm sure Brooke and Julian would love to come too. Would be nice to have all the kids running around here." Haley changed the subject to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Nathan smiled and nuzzled his cheek against her forehead.

Haley traced her hand absentmindedly across his chest and circled her fingers around his nipple, unaware of the effect it had on Nathan. She twisted her hips a little to decrease the angle she had on her lower back, so it wouldn't start to hurt with the current position she was sitting in. She heard Nathan groan deeply as her back brushed up against him, causing him to react in an instant.

Nathan lowered his leg back in the water and stretched it out. The movement of his leg caused Haley to shift once again, and made the increasing throbbing sensations of his erection, to fire through his body, immediately feel an explosive need and want for her.

Haley felt Nathan starting to shift slightly behind her, and his breathing became heavy. The sudden change of the atmosphere quickly radiated through her own body, and she was unable to contain the thick, quiet moan escaping through her lips when she felt Nathan move his hands to her thighs. She felt him grab the underside of her thighs, and helped him twist herself around, when she gathered that he wanted her to turn around. She held her arms around his neck as she placed her knees on either side of his thighs, so she was straddling him.

Nathan put his hands on her hips and moved them around to her ass, pushing her body closer to his, causing their lower halves to brush up against each other at the same time.

Haley locked her arms behind his neck and leaned in to capture his lips. She moaned into his mouth when she felt him brush up against her folds. The added friction of their chests crashing together, caused her own want and desire to shoot though her veins.

Their breaths increased in frequency and soon became erratic as their tongues battled with each other.

"Mmrrff…" Haley's incoherent sounds along with the delicious taste of her lips, and her hands that played with the hairs at the nape of his neck, made him even harder than he already was.

"Fuck." Nathan grunted when he moved his fingers between the apex of her thighs and through her folds and felt how wet she already was.

"Nathan…" She moaned when she felt his fingers swipe through her folds and circling around her entrance.

He moved his lips away from her mouth and started to trail wet kisses down the column of her neck, sucking and nibbling at her pulse point. When Haley raked her nails along the scalp of his head, the most amazing shiver ran down his spine, causing his throbbing erection to twitch in pain.

"God…I want you." The feel of his quivering, thick voice against the skin of her neck made her tremble and almost come right then and there.

"Should we move this into the bedroom?" Nathan choked out as she wiggled her hips even closer to him, so her folds were practically enclosing him.

Haley kissed the line of his jaw around to his ear, and took his earlobe in between her teeth, carefully tugging at it before she soothed it over with her tongue.

She slowly elevated her hips, so she was standing on her knees, hovering her lower half above his pulsating member.

She pulled her head away from his ear and looked into his eyes with burning desire. "No." She whispered as she slowly lowered herself on him, her eyes never leaving his.

Haley moaned deeply as she slowly sank down on him. The way he felt inside of her caused her body to tremble in an unbelievable pleasure. She loved the feeling of him stretching her to the fullest, until he was all the way inside of her. She stayed still for a moment, completely consumed in the feeling of being connected to Nathan in this way again.

Nathan placed his hands on her hips, and almost swallowed his tongue when Haley took him in so slowly, inch by inch. Her tight walls encapsulating him made his eyes roll into the back of his head. He let out a deep, guttural groan when he felt himself being all the way inside of her. When Haley stilled her movements and started to fiddle her hands around on his back and neck, he tightened his grip on her hips.

"Baby, you need to start move." His voice was shaking, as he desperately needed her to move.

Haley raked her hand through his short hair and started to move herself when she heard the pleading tone in his voice.

"Ohh, god." She choked out as her body quickly responded to the actions she was doing.

She felt Nathan bore his fingers into her waist and started to jerk his hips up so he met her on every downstroke. She already felt like her entire body was about to burst in pleasure, and she sorely needed to hold onto something. She moved her hands around Nathan's neck and over his shoulders, but no matter where she put her hands, she couldn't find a hold of anything.

When Nathan moved his hand to her breast, she threw her head back and dug her nails into the back of his neck.

"Damn it Nathan. You need to grow back your hair, so I have something to grab onto." She panted out in frustration, which was soon followed by a loud moan as Nathan took one of her nipples into his mouth.

He circled his tongue around it and grabbed her other breast with his hand.

Haley felt the tight coil in the pit of her stomach building up fast, and locked her arms around Nathan's head as he kept sucking on her nipple.

Nathan moved his hand down in between them and started to rub his fingers on her throbbing nub, desperately wanted her to come as he was dangerously close to his undoing.

"I'm so close…please don't stop." Haley choked out as she kept slamming down on him.

When Nathan added pressure on his fingers, she arched her body into his and stilled her movements as she violently exploded around him. She cried out his name and dug her nails into his back, which caused Nathan to let go as well. Her name fell off his lips as he emptied himself deep inside of her, followed by a deep groan when Haley's feminine muscles contracted uncontrollably around his twitching member.

Haley placed her head on top of his as she slowly regained her breath and started to graze her fingers along his broad shoulders. She felt his body tremble and placed a kiss at the side of his head.

She pulled back slightly and found his lips. She kissed him long and tenderly while moving her hands into his hair.

"That was…mmm." She mumbled into his mouth, her mind was still hazy by the aftershocks of the intense orgasm she'd just had.

"Yeah, I told you I'd take care of you, didn't I?" Nathan smirked against her lips.

"Mhhm, you sure did." She chuckled and kissed him one more time before she pulled back. She raised herself off of him and stepped out of the hot tub, draped a towel around herself and held one out for Nathan.

"You're staying put or do you want to join me in there?" She said huskily and pointed her head towards the bedroom.

"I was thinking that I could return the favor, unless you're too tired…" She let the words trail off, and licked her lips.

Nathan smirked at her, climbed out and put the towel around his waist.

"Don't underestimate me, baby." He said and pulled her body flushed against his, making sure she felt that he was most certainly not tired. "Besides, what makes you think that I'm done taking care of you?" He raised his eyebrow seductively at her.

"Handcuffs?" She asked and bit her lip, as she ran her finger down his damp chest.

"Oh no, not tonight. They wouldn't be much of an assistance with what I have in mind right now." He said and swiped her off of her feet into his arms, and started to walk them towards their bedroom.

Haley yelped in surprise and flung her arms around his neck. The sultry look on Nathan's face caused her body to shiver. It was merely minutes ago since she'd come down from her high, but her body was somehow unable to resist this man. She could never get enough of him.

"I'm in trouble now, aren't i?" She giggled as the anticipation of what was waiting her set her skin on fire.

"You can bet your sexy ass that you are!" Nathan said and grinned, as Haley's laughter filled the room, making his heart almost burst out of his chest by the wonderful sound.

God, it was good to be home again, he thought as he carried the woman, who had changed his entire world, into their bedroom to continue their night.

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><p><strong>AN #2<strong>; And with that I'll pass the torch to **Kat0507** for chapter 2. I'll remind you again, that she will post the next chapter on her account, so pay attention to updates coming from her.

Thank you for giving this a try, and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer;** Characters, minor plot, and dialogue belong to CW/WB, Mark Schwahn, and OTH writers.

**AN: **This is a **rotating feature** by **Kat0507** and me (inspired by Diamond Gothic) - with the possibility of occasional guest authors, but we'll let you know when and who, when it comes to that. This will basically be "one story", which, as of now will be composed on two different accounts.

We will try and keep this from getting too confusing by constantly reminding you what order to read things/from what author. If any of you get/are confused or have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! We're also available on twitter (mAu0103& Katg0507). When we are done, we will probably compile everything together on both accounts for easy reading.

For now, in order to follow along, we suggest you get story alerts on stories on each of our accounts. Also refer back to the guide we are setting up for updated information. Here is what we have so far:

"Everything"-posted by Kat0507

Chapter 1-posted by mAu0103

Chapter 2-posted by Kat0507

**Chapter 3-posted by mAu0103 **(This chapter!)

Chapter 4-will be posted by Kat0507

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><p>*Happy birthday Gina!*<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Haley was sitting at the examination bench, which was located in the middle of the room they had been showed into minutes priorly by a nurse. Lydia was still in her arms, resting her uninjured side of her head on her shoulder. She kept rubbing her hand softly up and down Lydia's back, while whispering soothing words.

Lydia's crying had somewhat subsided, but every now and then, small, muffled, sobs would escape her because of the foreign, new sensations of pain that was shooting through her head.

Jamie was sitting in the chair at the corner of the room, his knee restlessly bouncing up and down with his eyes fixed at his sisters back.

"She's going to be okay, right?" He asked worriedly and moved his gaze over at Haley.

Haley breathed in deeply, when Nathan squeezed her tighter into his side and placed a kiss at the side of her head. The feeling of his body next to her, and the support of his strong arm around her and their daughter, was the only reason to why she hadn't broken down yet.

She hated this place. She hated the smell. She hated the sounds. She hated the colors of the walls. She hated the entire atmosphere. And most of all, she hated that her baby girl was hurting, and there was nothing she could do about it. This place held nothing but bad memories, with the exception of the two times she had been here, given birth to the two most precious, and dearest things in her life.

She looked over at Jamie, and was about to answer him, when the door opened and a tall, blonde, middle-aged man in white coat entered, followed by the same nurse that had shown them into the room earlier.

"Hi, Mr and Mrs Scott, was it? I'm Dr. Robinson." He greeted and extended his hand towards Nathan, as he got up on his feet.

"Yes, I'm Nathan and this is my wife, Haley." He said and shook his hand firmly.

Haley smiled at him and nodded her head, as she didn't want to let go of Lydia that had finally calmed herself down.

The doctor glanced down at the chart he was holding in his hand, and flipped the papers they had filled out by the reception desk, right after they first entered the ER.

"So, I see Lydia here, had an unpleasant meeting with the coffee table." He handed the chart to the nurse, before he went over to stand in front of Haley and Lydia.

Nathan took one step to the side, to give the doctor enough space, and watched carefully as he slowly approached Lydia, which had her head buried in the crook of Haley's neck.

"Yeah, it all happened so fast. One second she was running around, and the then the next one she tripped over one of her toys, and that was it." Haley said, feeling a sharp sting in her heart, as the horrifying sound of her daughters head hitting the table, rang in her ears.

"She has a pretty big bump along with a gash above her right eye, which is swollen shut." She added and inwardly cringed as she tried to give a good description of Lydia's injuries.

"I see. Well, let's take a look at it." He said and smiled at the worried mother. "Do you think you can get her to turn around and face me?" He asked placing his hand on Lydia's back.

"Hey, baby." Haley spoke softly to Lydia and patted her back. "Can you turn around for me, so the doctor can take a look at your head?" She continued, and started to move her in her arms.

"Mommy!" Lydia whined and threw her short arms around her neck, when Haley started to move her - refusing to let go of her.

"I'm still here, sweetie. I'm just going to turn you around in my lap, so the nice doctor can take away your boo-boo, okay?" She felt Lydia release the tight grip around her neck, just enough so that she could turn her around in her lap.

The doctor raised her head with his hand under her chin and examined her with his naked eye. He gently and carefully pressed his fingers around her eye, which caused Lydia to arch her head back into Haley's shoulder, and wale out in pain.

"Sshh, it's okay, baby." Haley soothed and nuzzled her face into her head.

"Has she been conscious all the time?" He asked and pulled out the small flashlight from his chest pocket.

"Yes." Haley nodded.

"Okay, good. Lydia, can you look at me for a second?" He asked and lowered his head so it was level with hers.

Lydia turned her head slowly and opened her left eye, when she heard the sound of her name. Two of her fingers were stuck in her mouth as she focused in at him with her healthy eye. When she noticed the flashlight he held in his hand, her hand shot out and pointed at it. "Light!"

"Yes, that's right. Do you think you can sit still for a second, so I can take a look at your eye?" He asked her and smiled.

She tried to grab it when he held it up in front of her head, causing Haley to let out a tiny chuckle.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, and took a hold of Lydia's hand to let the doctor do his job.

"No, mine!" Lydia whined and tried to fight her hands out of Haley's grip.

"I'll tell you what. You can have this once I'm done, okay? It'll only take a second."

Lydia stopped squirming in Haley's lap and looked back at him with her big, blue-green eye, and softly nodded her head.

He swiped the light quickly once, from the side and into her eye, nodding his head in satisfaction, when he saw her pupillary reaction was normal.

He turned off the flashlight and held it out to her. "Here you go." He said and patted her head as Lydia grabbed the flashlight out of his hand with excitement.

"Is everything okay?" Nathan suddenly asked, after observing everything quietly from the side. He was shuffling his feet around, unable to stand still. The thought of anything worse than a bump, a swollen eye and a tiny gash, sent an uneasy feeling throughout his body, causing his chest to tighten.

"From what I can see, it doesn't look like it's anything worse than the external injuries. She seems to be responsive and alerted, but I'm going to order a head scan, just so we can rule out any fractures and internal bleedings. It's difficult to get a good enough look at her eye, because of the swelling. But I might be able to something about that. At least release some of the pressure." He reasoned and walked over to his desk.

"Why don't you clean her wound and get her ready, while I call down to radiology and order that scan." He directed to the nurse, that had already started to prepare the equipment he needed to stitch her up. "I'm also gonna need a syringe, so I can remove some of that exudate pressing over her eye." He added quickly.

Haley felt her heart start to pound hard against her chest when the doctor said _internal bleedings_. A million thoughts ran through her head, and none of them were of the good kind. She squeezed Lydia closer to her body and moved her gaze over at Nathan. She was sure that he mirrored her thoughts as she saw how restless and uneasy he looked. He had his hands in his pockets and kept swaying his body from side to side. Yet, he gave her a soft smile and a look that helped her breathe and slow down her heart rate with ten-fold, at least.

What would she ever do without him?

She quickly discarded that thought. There was no point of going down that road again. Not now. Instead she chose to focus on his eyes. The way he looked at her slowly pushed aside the horrifying thoughts and replaced them with an inner stillness. She started to feel safe and calm, knowing that he was here with them. Of course she knew he couldn't take away Lydia's pain, but simply to know that he was here with them, made it so much easier to sit here while they were waiting. The way he handled every situation so calmly really amazed her. She had no idea how he could do it. She was freaking out big time, on the inside, but he looked like he was able to keep his anxiety in check. Or at least he was very good at hiding it. Either way, she was glad that he was able to keep his cool, because it was more than enough having one of them freaking out.

She turned her attention back to Lydia, when the nurse came over to clean her wound and disinfect the skin around it. The contact of the cotton to her forehead caused Lydia to squirm uncontrollably and cry out in agonizing pain, which again sent an excruciating ache to fire through Haley's body.

When the nurse finished up, tears were streaming down Lydia's face, and all Haley could do was to hold her close and try to soothe her the best she could. It was a terrible feeling. The way it felt when her children were in pain. This was every mothers worst nightmare. The helplessness she felt was almost tearing her apart.

"Okay. Let's see if we can get her stitched up, before we send her down to radiology." Dr. Robinson said as he returned from his desk. "Do you think you can get her to lay still on the bench here, Mrs. Scott?"

"I don't know" Haley sighed and turned her eyes at Nathan, silently asking him to come and help her. It was probably going to be difficult to keep her still, and she hated the idea of having to hold her down, but what other choice did they have if it came to that?

"Don't worry, I'll give her a local anesthetic, so she won't feel anything once I start to stitch." He reasoned, trying to console the worried parents.

Nathan walked over and hunched down in front of Lydia.

"Hey baby girl, do you think you can be brave for daddy, and lay down at the table? Then the doctor's gonna fix your boo-boo above your eye." Nathan spoke softly to his daughter.

Nathan got up and took one step back as Haley slid down off of the table with Lydia in her arms. She turned around and put Lydia down on her back.

"Daddy." Lydia held out her hand, as her lower lip started to quiver.

"Daddy's here." Nathan soothed and placed his hand on her tiny belly. "It's gonna be okay." He said quietly, trying to assure himself just as much as he needed to assure his little girl.

He felt Haley next to him, leaning into his side and take a hold of his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze, making him relax and let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding in. This is how it would always be like. He would always have her by his side, to help make him calm when he felt like he was about to burst on the inside. He let the gentle and soothing touch of her hand, transfer through his hand and into his body, and slowly but surely push aside the uneasy thoughts. The thoughts that always had their way of crawling into the back of his mind, every time his children, or Haley was hurting.

* * *

><p>Haley was standing in the kitchen, wiping spilled lemonade off the kitchen counter. She was lost in her own thoughts, and didn't hear Nathan walk up behind her. She jumped slightly when he snaked his arms around her, and placed a kiss at the top of her head.<p>

When the initial scare wore off, she relaxed herself back into his chest and closed her eyes.

"She's out as a light." Nathan spoke softly and smiled into her hair, resting his hands on her stomach.

They'd just arrived back home from the hospital, and Lydia had fallen asleep in the car, so Nathan had carried her upstairs to put her down.

The doctor had told them that the painkillers would probably make her tired, and the fact that she had been going through a scary and a painful experience, would of course also contribute to her exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked when he heard a quiet sigh escaping Haley.

She had been silent in the car ride back from the hospital, and with the exception of a few words to Lydia before he'd carried her upstairs, she hadn't said anything. He'd also noticed how deep in thoughts she'd been when he came into the kitchen, and couldn't help but feeling a little worried.

Haley sighed again, this time louder and deeper. There was just so much going on inside of her head right now, and she didn't know how to sort out the thoughts, or even where to start.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just - " She felt a myriad of emotions rush through her, which caused her to choke back on her words. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, and slowly rolled down across her cheekbone. She quickly wiped it away and tried to compose herself.

"Haley…" Nathan sighed and moved his hands to her upper arms, gently rubbing them up and down.

Haley sniffled, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know I'm just being silly, but I can't stand the thought of how much pain she's in. And what if…"

"Hales." Nathan turned her around and raised her chin so he could look into her eyes. "She's going to be fine. Stop worrying about all the what ifs. The scan was negative. No fractures, no bleeding. And right now, she's sound asleep in her room. No pain, no worries whatsoever. Don't forget that she's a Scott. Scott's are tough, you know." He gave her a tiny smirk at the end, trying to ease the mood a little.

It pained him to see Haley like this. He knew she would always worry when it concerned their children, it was just the way she was, and he loved that about her. Her endless love and care for them, and how she would sacrifice herself and do anything for them warmed his heart to no end. But the doctor had told them that everything would be fine, and they didn't have to worry. All they needed to do, was to pay extra attention to the swelling around her eye, and keep the bandaid over her stitches dry - and she'd be as good as new.

Haley chuckled lightly and wiped her eyes again, to prevent another set of tears from springing out.

"I know." She sighed. "And I'm sure she's handling this so much better than I am. I'm a total wuss." She laughed weakly. "But I can't help it, you know. She's my baby. I can't stand seeing her like this."

"I know baby, I know. But I promise you, she's fine." Nathan lowered his head so he was level with Haley, and looked intently, yet softly, into her deep brown eyes. He gave her a smile. "What do you say we go out and join the others and get something to eat? I'm sure the guys have the steaks ready by now."

Haley nodded her head softly and smiled back at him. "Okay." She sighed. "But why don't you go ahead, I just want to go upstairs and check on her first." She added.

It was not like she didn't believe or trusted Nathan, but she couldn't relax herself until she saw her little girl one more time, just to make sure she really was fine.

Nathan leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek before embracing her in a hug. "Take your time. You know where to find us." He spoke low into her hair.

* * *

><p>"Lydia, honey, please don't touch that. I don't want you to rip out your stitches so we have to go back to the hospital and redo them." Haley told her for the millionth time.<p>

Lydia was sitting on the floor in the living room, her toys spread around, but she was more interested in the bandaid above her eye than anything else.

It was late, and after the others had left earlier, the family of four had spent most of their time keeping Lydia busy so that she would keep her hands away from her face.

Lydia looked up at her mother with questioning eyes and kept fiddling with the soft, white material that covered most of her tiny forehead.

Haley sighed and hunched down next to her. "What do you say we go and find Jamie instead? Maybe he can read to you before you go to bed?" Haley asked in a light tone, trying to keep her hand away from her face.

Lydia broke into a huge smile by the sound of her brothers name, and immediately placed her hands on the floor and pushed herself up in a standing position. Her tiny body was swaying for a few seconds, before she found her balance and started to walk wobbingly towards the stairs, focusing hard with every step she took.

Haley watched as she stopped in front of the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and turned around to her.

"Mommy, come!" She said and held out her small hand at Haley.

Haley smiled and walked over to her. She opened the gate and picked her up.

Lydia grinned and pressed her head against Haley's forehead. It was one of the things she had started to do when she wanted to cuddle. But this time she'd completely forgotten about her bump as she did, so when her head touched Haley's, she winced and quickly retracted her head, and her lip started to quiver.

"Aww, sweetie, you forgot about your boo, huh?" She said and rubbed her hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her before she broke out in another cry.

"Daddy…" She whined and carefully placed her cheek on Haley's shoulder.

"Daddy will be up in a minute. Let's see if we can find Jamie first, okay?" She said and started to climb the stairs.

Lydia's soft sobs made her heart ache. She wished more than anything that she could transfer her pain to herself, or make it go away. Or she wished that she could've gone back in time and prevented this from happening in the first place. But she knew very well, that there was nothing she could do, except give her comfort and care the best she could. It had already happened, and to Haley's much dismay, she would probably get injured again at some point - it was unfortunately inevitable.

* * *

><p>It was quiet in the the house. Lydia had finally fallen asleep. It had taken some time to get her down. She'd been restless after her extra naps due to the injury, and of course due to the pain she still had. After Jamie had read to her, both Nathan and Haley had to take their turns in trying to get her to sleep, as she'd been fuzzing and whining and refusing to go bed. Eventually, Nathan had brought her into their bedroom and read to her in their bed, while Haley had finished up cleaning and tidying after their gathering. When she'd came back upstairs, she'd found Nathan asleep on his back with Lydia on top of him, her head snuggled into his neck and his hand flat on top of her back. Her heart had swelled by the sight, they looked so adorable, and she just couldn't get herself to wake him up right away. Instead she'd watched them for a couple of minutes with adoration and a content smile across her face.<p>

She smiled softly to herself when the image of the two of them snuggled up with each other like that, entered her mind again. She glanced up from her book as she heard footsteps approaching her.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you." She smiled, and followed him with her eyes as he walked over and sat down next to her, lifting her legs so they were resting in his lap.

"Were you now?" He reciprocated her smile with a smirk, and handed her a glass of wine, as she closed her book and placed it down on the coffee table.

She accepted the glass from him and playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Nothing of that sorts…" She started, but then stopped herself when she thought about how he had that sexy daddy glow radiating whenever he interacted with or simply held Lydia, or even Jamie for that matter. She grazed her teeth over her lower lip and swiped her eyes over his chest before they landed on his face. She felt her cheeks heat up as they always did, when he looked at her like that. His clear, blue eyes were piercing her own eyes, sending a jolt of tingles down her spine.

She cleared her throat and took a sip of her wine, her eyes still firmly attached to his. "What have you been up to?" She asked and placed the glass down onto the table.

Nathan chuckled lightly by her sudden change of topic. " I just had to kick our sons ass in a game of Gears of War." He said as one of his boyish, victory grins swept across his face. Clearly satisfied that he'd managed to beat Jamie at one of their many encounters of those violent video games.

"Oh, I'm sure you did. And you probably rubbed it in his face too." She chuckled and shook her head softly at his childish behavior. When it came to stuff like this, he would never grow up, but that was just one of the many things that made him a great father.

"What? Like he doesn't let me know when he beats me, which by the way, rarely or never happens." He smirked and squeezed her leg with his hand.

"Sometimes I feel like I live with three children, that I'm the only grown up around here." She smiled teasingly at him and let out a surprised squeal when he suddenly pulled her legs so she was laying flat on her back. He shifted in his seat and hovered his body over hers, his hands resting at both sides of her head.

She felt her body heat up in an instant by the husky look in his eyes and the way he leaned his upper body into hers, their chests almost touching.

"Trust me, with the things that's going through my mind right now, I'm definitely a grown up." He spoke low and raised his eyebrow at her. "I can prove it if you want."

The sultry whisper made her entire body shiver and she had to bite her tongue from letting out a moan. She grasped around his wrists and traced her hands up and down his bare forearms.

"Nathan, what if Jamie comes down here, while you're acting all grown up?" She tried to keep herself in check, as she was fully aware of where they were at the moment, even though her body was already screaming for attention from her husband.

"You don't have to worry about the boy. He went straight to bed, sulking like I've never seen before, after I totally wiped his ass in that video game. I'm pretty sure he's not going to come down here right now." He moved one of his hands to the hem of the shirt she had changed into earlier, and started to play with it.

Haley sucked in her breath when she felt his fingers snake under the material and graze the skin on her stomach.

"Nathan…" She halfway moaned and moved her hands to his broad shoulders and around to the back of his neck, when he leaned down and started to place feather light kisses along the exposed skin of her neck. He slowly moved his way to her ear and groaned in frustration when they suddenly heard weary cries coming from upstairs.

Haley let out a small giggle and ran her hands up and down his back as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"I guess we forgot about the possibility of this one waking up, huh?" She said and ran her hand though his short hair.

Nathan reluctantly got up in a sitting position and held out his hand to help Haley up.

Haley cupped his cheek when she got up and laughed at his pouting face. "I'm sorry, baby. But our baby needs us." She kissed the corner of his mouth and got up on her feet.

Nathan reached out and grabbed her hand as she was about to walk away. "I'll get her." He said and got up.

"Are you sure?" Haley asked. "Cause I don't mind, really." She added.

"I want to." He smiled genuinely.

Haley smiled softly at him. "Okay." She felt her heart swell again by how loving and caring her husband was. He was truly one of a kind. And he was all hers. He was theirs.

"Nathan." She called after him, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed by the emotions running through her, and made him turn around at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I love you."

It was three words. So simple, so easy to say. Yet they held so much. The meaning and the depth of those three words, was so far beyond simple - they were everything. They were always and forever.

Nathan felt his heart thump hard against his chest by the strong emotions in her voice. The sincerity. The vulnerability.

"I love you too, Hales." He held her gaze for a moment and smiled tenderly, before he turned and walked upstairs.

Haley kept looking after him as he ascended the stairs. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. It was like she had fallen in love with him all over again. This time, it was stronger, more powerful and deeper - if that was even possible. Whenever he was around, the butterflies were constantly swirling around in her stomach, her pulse was rapid, and the tingles that spread under her skin from whenever he touched her, made her feel more than alive. He was constantly on her mind.

She started to move slowly around the living room, blowing out the candles she had lit, and switching off the lights. A soft smile tugged at the corner of her mouth when she heard Lydia's cries stop. If only she would sleep through the night, so she would get enough rest after the day she'd had.

Hell, even she could use a good nights sleep after this day. But somehow she doubted that that would be the case. Lydia was not known for sleeping peacefully. They always found her in the most amazing positions in her bed, either upside down or with her head almost lodged into the headboard of the bed. This was a quality she'd definitely gotten from her. She remembered her mother always complaining about how she tossed and turned in her sleep when she was younger, and how it was a miracle that she hadn't fallen off of her bed more often. It was only after she'd started sharing a bed with Nathan, that she'd actually started to sleep the night through, without tossing around like a maniac.

She smiled softly to herself as she walked over to the sliding doors that lead out to the patio to make sure it was closed and locked. She had gotten more thorough by checking the doors and windows every night, after Nathan had been kidnapped. A tiny chill ran down her spine and made her body shiver by the simple thought.

She raised her gaze and looked out into the distance. Trying to will those horrible memories away. Trying not to think if someone could still be out there, that wanted to come back and get their revenge. There was still so much she felt like she didn't have any control over, and she hated that. But the police, at least the ones they knew they could trust, had told them that they had gotten all of them - or rather Dan and Chris had gotten all of them.

She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She had to trust what they told them, for Nathan's sake, and for her own sake. If not, she would eventually go insane by the constant worry and anxiety she carried around. And she had to stay strong for herself, and for the three most important people in her life.

She opened her eyes again and noticed a storm appearing in the horizon, slowly crawling towards them. It didn't look like it was a big one, so she figured this would pass relatively quiet without causing too big of a mess, like the one last year did. They could always try and make it into something nice with the kids, if it turned out that they had to stay cooped up inside. And if they were lucky enough, maybe they could even get another walk in the rain. She bit her lip and checked the handle of the door one more time, before she smilingly turned around, and walked back towards the stairs, with a very vivid memory of their latest rain experience.

* * *

><p><strong>AN; <strong>First of all I want to apologize for not getting this out sooner, but school is starting to kick my ass now, which unfortunately caused a minor writers block. I know this was a pretty uneventful chapter, but this "wrap" from Kat's last chapter, was all I managed to do right now. However, I plan to redeem myself and maybe use one of the suggestions I got from you in my next chapter - which I think is something many of you would appreciate.

With that said, I hope you'll still keep reading and reviewing. Even though real life is trying to keep me down, I won't stop writing, as long as you still want this to continue. I truly appreciate all the support and the wonderful feedback, it keeps me going - thank you guys!


	3. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Characters, minor plot points, and dialogue belong to CW/WB, Mark Schwahn, and One Tree Hill writers.

**AN: **This is a **rotating feature** by Kat0507 and me (inspired by Diamond Gothic) - with the possibility of occasional guest authors, but we'll let you know when and who, when it comes to that. This will basically be "one story", which, as of now will be composed on two different accounts.

We will try and keep this from getting too confusing by constantly reminding you what order to read things/from what author. If any of you get/are confused or have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! We're also available on twitter (mAu0103 & Katg0507). When we are done, we will probably compile everything together on both accounts for easy reading.

For now, in order to follow along, we suggest you get story alerts on stories on each of our accounts. Also refer back to the guide we are setting up for updated information. Here is what we have so far:

"Everything"—posted by Kat0507 This one shot deals with the Scott family readjusting to life after Nathan's kidnapping and Dan's death. It also helps explains Nathan/Jamie's absence in 9x12.

Chapter 1—posted by mAu0103 This one shot takes place in between 9x12 and 9x13. Nathan and Haley have some alone time and reconnect as a couple.

Chapter 2- posted by Kat0507. This chapter picks up after the Tric anniversary celebration in 9x13, but before the time jump at the end of the series finale. The Scotts host a family/friend cookout and admits the happy chaos, Lydia gets hurt.

Chapter 3- posted by mAu0103. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 2. The Scotts spend some time at the hospital and return home with a healthy, but injured Lydia.

Chapter 4—posted by Kat0507. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 3. The Scott family make the best of a rainy day and Lucas surprises the family with a visit.

Chapter 5—posted by mAu0103. **This chapter**

Chapter 6-will be posted by Kat0507.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Haley was jolted out of her sleep by a loud bang. She raised her head slightly from her pillow and glanced sleepily around. When she saw the lightning flash outside the window, she groaned out loud and dropped her head back down on the pillow. Yet another rain and thunder storm that was passing by. But it was normal this time of the year, and it wasn't a secret that she loved this kind of weather. She just didn't like it when she got so abruptly woken up by the loud noise from the thunder, and especially when Nathan wasn't home. She turned over on her side, and moved her hand over the cold sheets and the pillow at Nathan's side. She sighed silently to herself and rolled over on her back again.

She let her eyes wander across the ceiling as she listened to the rain drops falling hard outside, suddenly feeling too awake to be able to fall back asleep. She suddenly sprung out of the bed, and tip-toed carefully out of the bedroom to check on the kids. If she woke up by that loud bang, then it could most certainly wake up the rest of the house. She peeked into Jamie's room first, that was right across the hall from their bedroom. She smiled and closed the door quietly behind her, when she confirmed that he was still fast asleep. Then she continued a couple of doors down the hallway to check on Lydia. She carefully pushed the door halfway open and peeked inside. The light emitting from the hallway gave her a perfect view of her daughters sleeping form. However, it looked rather uncomfortable the way she had twisted herself around so she was laying with her face smashed into the corner of her bed. But it looked like she was sleeping just fine, so Haley decided not to go over and start turning her around, in danger of waking her up. She stepped out in the hallway again, and left the door barley open, so that she would hear if Lydia woke up at some point.

She walked back into the bedroom and kept the door ajar. She slowly crawled back under the covers and glanced over at the empty space next to her. A tiny frown appeared on her face as she rolled over to his side, snuggled her head into his pillow, letting his scent invade her senses.

She missed him. And she was worried about him. This was the first time he was away on business since the kidnapping, and she couldn't help but feel dreadful and extremely worried about it. She just couldn't help it. Even though he was traveling domestic this time, he was still away from home. Away from them. In a place where she couldn't see him and without knowing that he was safe and sound at all times. Of course it wouldn't be possible for her to know about his whereabouts at all times, even when he was in Tree Hill, but at least he wouldn't be thousands of miles away in case something were to happen again.

She turned her head slightly and saw that it was 2:15 am. She sat up and reached for the phone that was sitting on Nathan's bedside table and clutched it in her hand while biting her lip. He'd only been gone since yesterday morning, and they'd talked on the phone several times today already, but she just could't shake the uneasy feeling she had right now. She needed to hear his voice one more time before she could go back to sleep. Besides, it was only 11:15 pm where he was, so she was safe, hopefully.

She dialed the familiar number that she knew so well by heart and waited impatiently for him to pick up.

"Haley, is everything okay?" Nathan answered almost straight away, the worry in his voice was seeping through.

Haley let out a silent sigh as she finally heard his voice, and realized that he was okay. "Yeah, I'm sorry for calling so late. Were you already gone to bed?" She bit her lip and sunk back down into the pillows.

"No, but I was about to. You know I'm having an early flight tomorrow." He spoke softly into the phone. He could hear by the tone of her voice that something was up, and the fact that she'd called him when it was past 2 in the morning back home gave him an uneasy feeling.

"I'm sorry…I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I miss you." She pouted, even though he couldn't see her.

Nathan let out a small sigh and shook his head softly, as he pictured her right now with the biggest pout on her face. If only he was there to kiss the pout away.

"Why are you up at this hour anyway? I know you already went to bed earlier, I mean, I basically talked you into sleep."

"I know, but it's a thunder storm outside right now, and it kind of woke me up." She paused for a second and raked her hand through her hair. "And then I saw the empty space next to me. I miss your body next to me. I miss the warmth you give me." She rolled her head to the side to get a whiff of his smell from his pillow again, as she curled one of the strands of her hair with her fingers.

Nathan let out a tiny chuckle at the whiny tone in her voice. "Hales, you know I'll be back tomorrow. Besides, you have Luke in the house now, right? At least you don't have to be afraid like I know you are when you're alone." He reasoned softly.

"Yeah, it really helps having Luke around here. I'm so glad he's back in town for a while." She smiled into the phone. "But still, he can't keep me warm at night." She added and smiled when she heard a small groan emitting Nathan.

"Hales…" Nathan started but got cut off by Haley.

"I was just worried about you, you know. I always am. I needed to hear your voice, to know that you're safe…" She trailed off, as she felt a tiny lump forming in the back of her throat. Those horrible memories were still close to the surface, and they were still haunting her from time to time. At least the horrible nightmares had finally started to subside, but she still couldn't prevent those unbearable thoughts from appearing every now and then.

Nathan swallowed and closed his eyes, as her words, combined with the tone of her voice hit him. The vulnerability, and how the lack of his presence affected her, were evident in her voice - even though he'd only been gone for one day. But he couldn't really blame her. He'd also been having second thoughts when Clay had told him that he had to go to Sacramento for a few days, since he had to go to Europe himself. At least Clay had been kind enough to let him take the domestic trip, instead of sending him abroad once again - which by the way, would've never been approved by Haley.

"I know you are, but I'm fine and perfectly safe. I promise." He smiled when he heard Haley let out a soft sigh.

"I'm sorry for being so paranoid, Nathan. I promise I'll get better at this. I guess it just takes time before I'll get used to it again. It's not like I can lock you up and cuff you to the bedpost either." She chuckled lightly.

Nathan choked back a groan, as a series of images ran through his mind. "Well, who said you couldn't?" He asked as his voice turned deep. "However, if I remember correctly, it was _you_ that asked to be cuffed to the bed, not me. And believe me when I say, that it's going to happen, Hales. The only questions are, when and where…" He trailed off and let the words linger.

Haley shivered by his husky tone and couldn't help the breathy moan that escaped her lips, as she moved her gaze over to the dresser where she knew Nathan kept the handcuffs. Ever since she had brought it up, it had kind of turned into a fantasy, and she could feel her entire body burn with anticipation and excitement by the thought of it. If only when was now.

"You can't say things like that when I'm here, all alone in our bed, missing you and listening to the rain storm in the middle of the night. I don't like to be teased, Nathan Scott."

"I know you're an impatient woman when it comes to my magnificent body and extraordinary skills in bed. But this one is out of your control. It'll happen when you least expect it." He laughed softly as he continued teasing her.

"Ugh, never mind, I'm perfectly fine without you. I'm just gonna let the sound of the rain lull me back to sleep. You and your ego have a good night and safe travels tomorrow." She huffed trying to feign annoyance by his confidence.

"You know I see right through you, Hales. You can't deny that you love both me and my ego, and we can't wait to see you tomorrow." He laughed.

Haley chuckled and shook her head softly. "Unfortunately I do." She gave in and sighed contently. "So how did the rest of your meetings go? I forgot to ask you when we talked earlier."

She wrapped the sheets tighter around her body and listened to Nathan talk about a few talents he'd been meeting earlier that day, while the sound of the rain drops hitting the windows suddenly made a soft ache in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and smiled as her thoughts brought her back to that night when they had danced and played around in the rain like two lovesick teenagers...

* * *

><p><em>Haley ran giggling into the house, water dripping everywhere, making a complete mess, but she couldn't care less. She was happy. She was in love. She was with the man that was responsible for making her life complete, in every single way. She heard Nathan was right behind her and felt him take a hold of her around her waist and pull her flush against his solid hard, chest. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and let the content feeling of being in his arms take over. Her wet, sticky dress made her slightly cold, but at the same time, the heat that was radiating between them made her completely forget about that the second she fell against his chest.<em>

_Nathan rested one of his hands on her stomach, while the other one carefully brushed away the wet strands of the hair from her neck. He leaned down and started to leave wet, open mouth kisses along the side of her neck, making her shiver as he found her weak spot behind her ear._

_"Are you cold?" He mumbled into her skin, as he fanned out his fingers across her stomach._

_Haley closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his breath and his soft lips glide over her exposed skin at the side of her neck. She palmed his hand that was resting on her stomach and intertwined their fingers. "No…" She breathed out and did another involuntary shiver when he sucked and nibbled at her pulse point._

_He kissed his way back up to her ear while he traced his hands up her arms and over her shoulders. He slowly traced his fingers along the neckline of her dress until he found the zipper on the back. He nipped at her earlobe and soothed it over with his tongue, before he lowered the zipper, slowly exposing the white, creamy skin of her back. When he came down to her bra, he did the work of unhooking that at the same time._

_"Are we in a hurry?" Haley asked jokingly and smiled over her shoulder, when she felt Nathan unhook her bra while she still had her dress on._

_Nathan smirked at her, as he got the zipper all the way down. "I need to get you out of these wet clothes, baby." He leaned his head closer. "Don't wan't you to get sick." His voice found a lower, deeper, more husky tone, which fired through her veins like burning grass, making her skin tingle everywhere._

_"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Her voice was barley over a whisper, still he didn't miss the hot and needy tone._

_He snaked his hands up her back again, tracing the line of her spine. When he got to the hair at the nape of her neck, he leaned forward and placed a small kiss there before he moved his hands to her shoulders, and hooked his fingers under the material of her dress. He pushed it away slowly, licking his lips in anticipation, as for each inch he pushed the dress down, the more of her heavenly, soft skin got exposed to him. He leaned down and left a series of kisses along her shoulder, as he pushed the dress, along with her bra, down her arms. He peeled it carefully away from her body, and as he got down to her hips, he felt her shake her hips a little to help making the dress fall off completely. Eventually, the wet, heavy material escaped her body entirely and hit the floor with a thump._

_"You're so beautiful." She heard Nathan whisper almost breathlessly into her ear, and all her initial thoughts about standing in her living room in nothing but her panties, disappeared just as quickly as they had entered her mind._

_She turned around in his arms and locked her arms around his neck. She felt his hands fall down to her hips, playing with the hem of her panties. She looked him in the eyes with pure, unadulterated lust while biting down on her lip. She almost lost her breath by the way he was looking at her. His eyes darted away from hers for a few seconds to take her in. As his eyes fell over her breasts, he tightened his grip on her waist and pushed her more into his body, eliciting a moan from her as she felt his arousal through the material of his pants._

_"You're the sexiest wife and mother of two I've ever laid my eyes on. Sometimes, I can't believe how lucky I am, that you're all mine."_

_Haley closed her eyes for a brief second, letting his words process, thinking that it was the other way around. She was the lucky one. However, it didn't necessarily have to be either one of them. They were both lucky to have each other. The love they shared was something special, something that went so deep, that she had never once doubted him, or herself for that matter. They knew where they had each other, and it would always be like that._

_She looked up at him through her eyelashes as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck._

_"I'm yours." She whispered huskily and raised herself on her tiptoes so her face was right in front of his. "And you're all mine." She added before she connected their lips in a fiery kiss. Their mouths opened up to each other immediately, making their tongues explore every little surface and crease of each others mouths._

_Haley moved her hands from the back of his neck to his chest, and started undoing his shirt, one button at the time. When she popped out the last button, she slid her hands up his chiseled abdomen and chest before she moved her hands along his broad shoulders and down his arms, peeling off the shirt as she did. She felt Nathan smile against her lips as his fingers dug into her waist, pulling her even closer to him so that their naked chests were flushed against each other._

_God, the friction of their slick, wet skin and hardened nipples pressed up against each other, had both of them trembling with pleasure and desire._

_Haley pulled back slightly and moved her hands down to Nathan's wrists to help him out of the shirt completely, catching her breath while she darted her eyes down to his hands for a moment. She felt Nathan's hot breath at the side of her neck as he lowered his head, which caused tingles to spread quickly from the side of her neck and throughout her entire body. When the shirt finally fell to the floor, she tucked the corner of her lip between her teeth and looked up at him while her hands moved to the waistband of his pants. She dipped the tip of her fingers into the waistband and moved them slowly around towards the button. Her eyes were firmly glued to his darkened blues. When the back of her hands brushed up against the fine trail of hair below his belly button, he made an involuntary flinch and let out a small groan. Haley released her lip from her teeth and grinned sexily at him while she undid the button of his pants._

_Nathan was held under a spell from those deep brown eyes. Those beautiful, soft, kind eyes, which now, held nothing but lust and need as she fumbled with her hands at his pants to make them drop. He moved his hands to her hips and traced them up along her sides till he reached the underside of her breasts, causing her to hitch her breath, before moving them back down to the edge of her panties._

_Haley pushed his pants down his thighs, while Nathan kicked off his shoes and socks, before he freed his ankles from the pants and kicked the wet, heavy material to the side._

_"That's much better." Haley grinned and snaked her hands around to his back and lowered them to his perfect, firm ass. She moved her body back into his and felt his obvious erection poke into her stomach through his boxers. She placed small, wet kisses across his chest and moaned into his skin by the feel of his skin against her lips._  
><em>She tilted her head back and met his lustful gaze. "Take me upstairs, Nathan Scott." He licked his lips by the sound of her sultry voice, smirking down at her before he took a hold at the back of her thighs and lifted her up in his arms. She let out a small giggling yelp and automatically wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, as he started walking them towards the stairs.<em>

_Nathan felt his painfully hard member strain against the thin material of his boxers, and let out deep groan when he felt Haley move her hips so she slid down and caused her to come in direct contact with it. Their underwear was the only thing that separated him from her warm heat. He could feel how wet she was through her panties and his mind went in overdrive as he ascended the stairs with her in his arms._

_"You're in big trouble, Haley James." He choked out in a deep voice as she continued her ministrations of her hips along with her lips on his neck._

_"Do you promise?" She whispered huskily into his neck, followed by a tiny giggle when she got nothing but a groan in response from Nathan, which used all of his focus on finding the right steps of the stairs._

_When he got to their bedroom he stopped for a second and traced one of his hands up along her back and tangled his fingers into her soft locks, pulling her head back so he could see her face. "Bed or shower?" His breath was heavy and he didn't know how much longer he could wait before he needed to bury himself inside of her._

_Haley raked her nails over his head, causing him to shiver and jerk his hips into her. "Bed…first." She whispered in a thick voice, smirking at him when he quickly took the final steps towards their bed and gently lowered her down to her feet._

_She moved her hands around to his chest and further down across his abdomen and stopped at his hips. She looked down and traced her index fingers along the v's that extended from his hip bones towards his pubic bone. When she got to the waistband of his boxers she looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled sexily at him, before she hooked her fingers into it and pulled it down his thighs, freeing his painfully hard erection._

_Nathan let out his breath and moaned deeply as the last piece of clothing was finally removed from his body._

_He almost swallowed his tongue when Haley took a hold of him in her small hand and started pumping him, her eyes never leaving his._

_"Ohh, God!" He choked out as Haley circled her thumb around the tip before moving her hand down to the base again._

_He palmed her face and found her lips as the need to feel more of her rushed through his oversensitive body._

_"Fuck…that feels…good, baby." He mumbled into her mouth in between his heavy breathing and jerked his hips into her hand._

_Haley moaned loudly as she felt the strength of him in her hand while his amazing lips left her lips and worked their way around to the side of her neck._

_Nathan moved his hands down her arms and to her hips, circling his fingers at her waist before he lowered them further and gently cupped her already soaking wet panties. His head almost exploded when he felt how wet she was. He pulled down her panties in one quick motion, letting them slide down her slim legs, before she kicked them away from around her ankles._

_"Get on the bed." His voice was deep and demanding, making her shiver as he was taking charge and stilling the movement of her hand._

_She lowered herself on the bed and scooted herself up while looking at him, her lower lip tucked between her teeth. Her entire body shivered by his intense gaze, it was like his eyes were burning through her skin as he moved his eyes up and down her body, before they connected with her own eyes again._

_She reached out her hand to him when she couldn't take it any longer. "Come here." She breathed out._

_Nathan snapped out of his trance by the sound of her voice. He was completely mesmerized by the beautiful woman laying on the bed in front of him. He simply couldn't take his eyes off of her. He could look at her forever and be completely satisfied, and then some._

_He followed her onto the bed and crawled on top of her, with one of his arms resting at the side of her head, while he moved his other hand up the side of her thigh, over her hip and along the side of her curved body._

_"You're so perfect, baby." He looked deeply into her eyes and moved his hand into her wet, blonde hair._

_Haley reached up and palmed his face, stroking her thumb across his cheekbone, before she moved them around to the back of his neck. "God, I love you, Nathan." Her voice was thick with emotions as she pulled him down and found his lips._

_She moved her hands down his back and put one of her legs over the back of his thigh. She couldn't help but moan deeply into his mouth when she felt Nathan palm her breast and started to play with her nipple._

_"Nathan…" She breathed out as he moved his lips along her jaw and found his way to her ear. "I need you." She squirmed underneath him and arched her body into his._

_Nathan moaned out loud against her skin as she arched herself into him, he felt himself getting even harder by her voice and quickly directed himself towards her entrance. He looked deep into her endless, brown eyes as he entered her in one, deep stroke, groaning as he felt her tight walls once again encapsulating him, creating the most amazing sensations to fire uncontrollably through every single fibre of his body._

_"Ohhh God, Nathann…" Haley moaned out and rolled her eyes to the back of her head as she felt Nathan enter her, filling her up so perfectly. She swung her other leg over his back and locked her ankles around him, to make him go even deeper._

_Nathan pulled out of her almost completely, before he entered her again, feeling every part of the surface of her internal walls as he slowly pushed inside of her again._

_"You feel so good, baby." Nathan whispered in between his staggered breaths as he continued to move inside of her._

_He upped his pace as he felt Haley drag her nails up and down his back as she met him with her hips on every downstroke. He leaned down and nipped softly with his lips at the skin on the side of her neck as he continued slamming into her._

_Haley raked her nails across his scalp before she grabbed his face and directed his lips to her own, in a desperate need to feel the taste of him. She could feel the tight coil in the pit of her stomach build up in record time the second her lips found his. She felt Nathan's tongue trace along the inside of her upper lip and opened her mouth for him. They both moaned simultaneously into each others mouths, when their tongues brushed up against each other._

_Nathan felt that he was quickly getting close to his release and changed the angle of his hips slightly, as he wanted Haley to come with him._

_"God, yes, right there!" Haley breathed out as she felt Nathan hit another amazing spot within her as he changed the angle, making him hit her even deeper than before._

_Her body was burning with pleasure. And she knew she couldn't hold out much longer. "Nathan…I'm gonna -" Her voice got stuck in the back of her throat as the tight coil in the pit her stomach suddenly exploded, making her feminine muscles contract uncontrollably around Nathan that was still moving furiously to get his own release. Her toes curled and the tight grip she had around his hips with her legs loosened as she felt the waves of pleasure wash through her entire body._

_It didn't take long before Nathan followed suit and stilled his movements above her. His eyes closed shut for a second as her name fell off of his lips, the sensations firing though his body were intensified by the feel of Haley's hand slowly moving up and down his back. Her lips and warm breath against the skin of his neck made his orgasm last even longer as the shivers continued shooting through every surface of his skin, and all the way down to his toes._

_When they'd both gotten down from their high and managed to get their erratic breathing under control, they shared a long, tender kiss before Nathan rolled off of her and over to his back._

_Haley hissed as she felt the immediate loss of the contact, both when he pulled out of her and by the feel of his warm, slick, skin against her own, as he rolled over to his back. She followed him over and snuggled into the side of his body, letting her foot trace up and down his calf as she placed a soft, lingering kiss above his still wildly beating heart. Words couldn't describe how much she loved this man. She was in absolute heaven at the moment. There was no other place she would rather be, than in the arms of the most wonderful man there ever is. She smiled softly to herself while making idle circles with her fingers at the skin of his chest._

_She tilted her head back, and a light blush crept over her face and spread down her neck, while a tiny shiver ran down her spine, as she met his intense, blue eyes accompanied by that sexy ass smirk of his. She just couldn't help it. No matter if they'd just had the most amazing sex, he would always make her blush when he looked at her like that._

_"What?" She asked, as she continued to draw imaginary circles at his chest, loving the feel of his warm, soft skin under her fingertips._

_Nathan chuckled lightly when he saw that familiar, sexy blush of hers, once again make its appearance. He squeezed her tiny frame closer into his body and placed a small kiss at her forehead._

_"Nothing." He said when he pulled back and met her eyes again. He let his eyes wander slowly over her beautiful face. His wife was amazingly perfect, in every aspect. He was a lucky bastard back in the earlier days, when she'd actually agreed to tutor him. "I just think you get even more beautiful for every single day that passes." He smiled softly at her, before his smirk slowly found its way back. "And you're a freaking goddess in bed, Hales."_

_She swatted him lightly on the chest and chuckled softly. At the same time she felt her heart swell by the honesty in his words, he always made her feel beyond loved and appreciated just the way she was._

_She leaned up and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. "Mmm, I love you, Nathan."_

_"I love you too, Hales."_

* * *

><p>Haley smiled dreamily into the phone and fluttered her eyes open as she heard Nathan calling her name.<p>

"Hales? Where did you go?"

Haley quickly snapped out of it, and bit down on her lip as she let out a quiet moan. The images of that night were so vivid, and it was like she was experiencing it all over again. "I'm here. I was just...thinking."

God, it had only been one day, and she was already suffering from major Nathan withdrawals. Of course the way they had turned the conversation around, together with the rain that was pouring down outside, didn't help much in that matter either.

Nathan chuckled lightly. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, just thinking about the rain." Her voice came out lower than intended and she felt herself starting to blush even though he couldn't see her. "I'm sorry, Nathan. What were you talking about?" She added quickly to keep herself from going completely crazy. She could handle one more day. She had to.

Nathan smirked to himself, knowing exactly what she was thinking about. That night had crossed his mind too, by several occasions, so he couldn't really blame her. But he decided to let it go for now. He didn't have to make it worse for either one of them at the moment. "I was just wondering if you've heard anything about when Peyton and Sawyer are coming next week?"

"Oh, yeah. Lucas talked to Peyton today, and she said they're coming on Tuesday."

"That's great. It'll give them a few days to settle in and catch up with everything before Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, I'm really excited about seeing Peyton again. It's been too long." Haley smiled as she thought about her blonde, curly friend. "And I think Sawyer is excited about coming here too. Lucas said that she has developed an affection for Jamie. She had practically followed him everywhere, when he and Lydia were staying with them."

"Jamie told me about that when we were camping. I think he thought it was a little annoying when she wanted to copy everything that he did." Nathan chuckled.

"Aww, I think it's adorable. She doesn't have any siblings, so of course she thinks it's fun with other kids around, and especially older kids that she can look up to."

Nathan nodded softly. "Yeah, I'm just afraid that she's going to get too ongoing, so that he'll grow tired of her."

"No, I don't think that'll be a problem. Lydia is here, and Logan and the twins are coming too. So I think there'll enough distractions going around here so that Jamie can get a little space." Haley reasoned and let out a yawn.

Nathan heard her yawn in the other end and immediately felt bad for still keeping her up. He needed to catch some sleep too, before he had to get up and go to the airport, so he figured it was time to end the conversation. "I guess you're right. But, listen, baby. Try to get some sleep now. It's late, and I don't want you to be all tired tomorrow. If I know our daughter right, she'll wake up pretty soon and give you a hard time."

"I suppose that's not a bad idea. That daughter of yours sure is a little devil in the early morning hours." She joked as another yawn threatened to escape her.

"Oh, nice try, trying to pin that one on me Hales." Nathan chuckled. "You know how dead I am in the mornings, so this is all on you." He teased back and heard Haley chuckle lightly in the other end.

"Fine, I guess I can't really escape that one." She smiled to herself and shook her head. "But she's still your daughter, so I'm entitled to blame you a little bit."

"I know for sure she is. I was there, you know." He smirked as his voice came out in a huskier tone. "And you know I don't mind sharing the blame with you on that one, Hales."

"Nathan…you know I won't be getting anywhere close to sleep, when you start like that again." Haley groaned by the sound of his deep, husky voice that once again sent jolts of tingles throughout her body. "Just make sure you get your sexy butt on that plane tomorrow and back to us, safe and sound, okay?"

Nathan chuckled by her whiny tone. "Okay, fine. I'll stop. You sleep tight, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you too, Nathan. I love you." Haley whispered softly.

"Love you too, angel. Night." He spoke low into the phone and waited till he heard Haley disconnect the call, before he put it down on the nightstand next to the bed.

He crawled under the covers and smiled to himself. He really looked forward to going back home, and spend the holiday week with his family and closest friends. He loved the fact that Lucas and Peyton would stay with them, and he loved how their presence had a positive effect on Haley. He could hear it in her voice, how happy it made her, and how excited she was to finally see Peyton again.  
>He was happy to see them too, of course. And he couldn't wait to hang out with his brother and goof around with the kids, while the women did their usual things, whatever that was. But nothing warmed his heart more, than when he knew that Haley was happy and content. The constant smile on her face and the beautiful sound of her laughter was to him, a sure indication that the wounds from his kidnapping was finally starting to heal. And that was all that mattered right now.<br>He closed his eyes, and let the exhaustion from this day to slowly take over, with the thought of the upcoming holiday he was going to spend at home with the people he loved the most. If only this week would be problem free, and with less drama than the last Thanksgviing they hosted, so that they could get another holiday with good memories to bring into the future.

* * *

><p>"Morning, Hales." Lucas greeted as he entered the kitchen.<p>

Haley turned her head by the sound of his voice. "Morning, Luke. You're up early." She smiled at him as he walked over to the counter where Lydia was sitting, finding the chair next to hers.

"How's my favorite niece doing this morning?" He said and ruffled her hair before he turned his gaze over at Haley on the other side of the counter.

"I know, I woke up by a text from Peyton. And when I heard you guys were up I figured I could just as well get the day started and join you for breakfast."

"Milk." Lydia exclaimed with a big smile.

"Milk, huh? Good call, Lydia." Lucas yawned and stretched his arms over his head.

Haley watched Lucas and Lydia interact and smiled by the sight. She placed the top back on Lydia's cup and placed it on the counter in front of her. "Here's your milk, baby."

She pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and filled them with coffee, before she walked over and found the chair on the other side of Lydia and sat down. She handed Lucas one of the mugs and got a tired, but grateful smile in return. "It looks like you could use some." She joked and took a sip of her coffee. She could actually use some herself, since Lydia had decided that it was time to get up at 5:30 am. And the fact that she hadn't been able to fall back asleep until it was around 3, after she'd talked to Nathan. So it was safe to say that she was running low on sleep right now, and that was definitely something she felt as her body was basically aching everywhere from being so tired.

"Ever heard of glasshouses, Hales?" Lucas returned with a teasing smile. "Seriously though, you don't look so good. Have you slept anything at all?" He asked.

Haley yawned and massaged a sore spot at the back of her neck with her hand. "I think I got a few hours at least." She smiled as she turned her gaze at Lydia, who was working on finishing the last drops of the milk in her cup.

"Why? What happened? Are you worried about Nathan?" He asked carefully and dragged his hand through his hair.

"Yes, I'm worried about him. I'm always worried about him." She paused and took a long sip of her mug. "But that's not why I couldn't sleep though. The thunder storm kind of woke me up, and then I had to call Nathan just to check on him. After that I couldn't fall asleep right away, it's no big deal."

"I'm sorry, buddy. Unless you had phone s-e-x with my brother in the middle of the night, cause that's just gross." He grimaced and earned himself a tiny swat on his arm from Haley.

"Lucas! Be careful what you say around this one." She said with wide eyes and pointed at Lydia. "I don't need my baby girl to pick up on these words just yet, or ever for that matter." She added and leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Lydia's head.

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Haley's expression. "I don't think we have to worry about that, Hales." He said as he moved his eyes over at Lydia who was busy fumbling with her now empty cup while she was babbling incoherent words to herself.

Haley smiled and shook her head.

"So did you?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrow at her while smirking.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no we didn't." She huffed out and moved her eyes away from him. "We basically just talked about what a pain in the ass you are most of the time." She narrowed her eyes at him and smiled teasingly at him.

"Fine, I'll drop it. But that blush on your cheeks gives you away you know. You're a horrible liar, Hales, and you know it." He smirked at her.

"Whatever." She replied dryly. "So what was so important that Peyton had to text you at this hour?" She quickly added, wanting to change the topic.

"Mommy, more milk!" Lydia suddenly interrupted and looked up at Haley with big eyes.

"I'll get it." Lucas said, just as Haley was about to get out of her chair.

"Thanks." She smiled and watched as he walked over to the fridge and got the milk carton. He brought over the pot of coffee at the same time and refilled their mugs, before he refilled Lydia's cup and gave it back to her.

"Daddy milk too?" Lydia asked and looked at Haley with questioning eyes.

"No, I'm sorry baby, daddy's not home right now." Haley said and stroked her knuckles softly across her chubby cheek.

"Nathan usually accompanies her in the mornings with a glass of milk." Haley explained with a smile, when she noticed the questioning look that Lucas gave her.

"So, what was up with Peyton?" Haley asked again and took the cup out of Lydia's hand as she held it out in front of her.

Lucas ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, Sawyer has recently entered the 'no' phase and basically replies no to everything we tell her. And yesterday she had refused to go to bed, so I guess Peyton was a little frustrated and tired after staying up late arguing with her." He sighed again. "I don't know, hopefully it's just a short phase. But right now, it's 'no' that counts for pretty much everything." He smiled halfway at Haley.

"Oh boy, the infamous 'no' phase. Wow, you're in for a rough ride, Luke." She tried joking and chuckled when Lucas groaned at her words.

"That's not funny. And you just wait. I can already tell that this one is gonna be a challenge. I mean, she does have your genes, so you're pretty much screwed." Lucas pointed back at her, but with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! I was not that bad. At least not as bad as Quinn and Taylor."

"Hales, you are one of the most stubborn people I know, beside Nathan. Do you remember that time when you practically stayed at my house for several days without seeing or even talking to your parents, just because they wanted you clean your room." He raised his eyebrow at her and chuckled.

"Well that was before I understood the importance of having a clean and tidy environment, obviously." Haley admitted defeatedly and shook her head softly at her own childish behavior back in the days.

"Yeah, you were kind of a brat." Lucas laughed.

"I was not!" Haley protested at first, but then gave in when Lucas gave her a pointed look as he continued to laugh. "Ugh, fine. So maybe I was a little. But it's not exactly like you were a wonder child yourself." She added and grinned when Lucas gaped at her.

"When did I ever oppose my mom? I always did as she told me."

"Do I have to remind you about the water hose incident?" She said and tried to hold back her laugh when Lucas broke her gaze and looked away.

"Umm, so when is Nathan supposed to be back today?" He quickly changed the subject to save himself from the embarrassing story.

Haley kept her eyes at him and smiled teasingly at him. "The only reason I'm letting this go right now, is because there's no one around to hear the story. But don't you think that I won't forget about it, it's simply too good to never be told." She grinned and let out a chuckle.

"You suck, you know that?" Lucas pretended to sulk, but couldn't contain his smile as he thought about the memory. That was one of the very few times when Karen had been practically livid at him.

"I know." Haley grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. "I have all the juicy and embarrassing stories to tell. That's just one of the privileges I have of being your best friend."

"Whatever." He exhaled and got up from his chair. "But in all seriousness, when's Nathan coming back today?" He asked again as he rinsed his coffee mug and put it in the dishwasher.

Haley dragged her hand through her hair and chocked back a yawn. "He's not arriving in Tree Hill until 3 pm."

Lucas stopped in front of her at the other side of the counter and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, I'll tell you what. You go back to bed now and get some sleep. No offense Hales, but you seriously look like you need it."

Haley was about to protest but Lucas held up his hand and halted her.

"I know what you're going to say, and don't worry about it. Lydia and I will take care of the things you wanted to do before Nathan gets back." He smirked at her when Haley gave him a confused look. "I know you well enough to know that you probably have a list lying around here with chores and errands that needs to be done, so you don't have to look so surprised." He chuckled lightly.

"Wow. Are you sure? Because one of the things actually involves cleaning." She smiled when Lucas playfully cringed his face.

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, I'll have Lydia to help me out, so we'll be done in no time. Right, Lyd?" He said to her and got a nod in response from the little girl who started to squirm in her chair.

Haley couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. They were adorable. And it was almost too nice of Lucas to offer something like this. She knew how demanding Lydia could be, especially when she wanted to get something done around the house. But she decided not to mention anything about it, since the thought of actually getting a few more hours of sleep, sounded too amazing to let it pass.

"Luke, that's really nice of you to offer, thank you. You have no idea how tired I really am right now."

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Lucas said and chuckled as Haley yawned again. "And you have no time to lose. So get your a-s-s back upstairs now, so we can start getting productive before Nathan gets back."

Haley grinned at him and let out a relieved sigh, before she got up on her feet and leaned down and gave Lydia a kiss on her cheek. "You be a good girl for your uncle Lucas, okay? Mommy's going to take a nap before daddy gets home." She said and dragged her hand through her short, darkening hair before she looked at Lucas again.

"Seriously Luke, thank you." She smiled and quickly started to walked towards the stairs, before Lucas got the chance to change his mind. She stopped at the first step of the stairs and turned around. "By the way, the list is hanging on the fridge, and the keys to the car are next to my purse lying on the island over there." She said and pointed.

"Great, we've got it all under control. Have a good sleep." Lucas called after her as she had already turned around and started to climb the stairs.

Haley smiled to herself, thinking that this day got a pretty good start after all. And it could only get better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; I don't know what to say, except that I'm REALLY sorry for taking so long to get this out. Exams has been killing me, and they're still doing their damage, but I just had to get this one out now, to keep me somewhat sane.  
>I don't know if this is what you wanted or expected, but as me and Kat0507 have said before, we're always open for suggestionsrequests, if there's anything in particular you want us to write about.

But seriously though, thank you for being so patient with me, and for still sticking with this story. Even though it's been a little slow lately, I can assure you that it's far from over.

Also just to remind you, the next chapter will be posted by Kat0507 on her account.


	4. Chapter 8

Never Let Me Go

**Disclaime**r: Characters, minor plot points, and dialogue belong to CW/WB, Mark Schwahn, and One Tree Hill writers.

**AN: **This is a **rotating feature** by Kat0507 and me (inspired by Diamond Gothic) - with the possibility of occasional guest authors (one so far), but we'll let you know when and who, when it comes to that. This will basically be "one story", which, as of now will be composed on two different accounts.

We will try and keep this from getting too confusing by constantly reminding you what order to read things/from what author. If any of you get/are confused or have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! We're also available on twitter (mAu0103& FFKat0507). When we are done, we will probably compile everything together on both accounts for easy reading.

For now, in order to follow along, we suggest you get story alerts on stories on each of our accounts. Also refer back to the guide we are setting up for updated information. Here is what we have so far:

"Everything"—posted by Kat0507 This one shot deals with the Scott family readjusting to life after Nathan's kidnapping and Dan's death. It also helps explains Nathan/Jamie's absence in 9x12.

Chapter 1—posted by mAu0103 This one shot takes place in between 9x12 and 9x13. Nathan and Haley have some alone time and reconnect as a couple.

Chapter 2-posted by Kat0507. This chapter picks up after the Tric anniversary celebration in 9x13, but before the time jump at the end of the series finale. The Scotts host a family/friend cookout and admits the happy chaos, Lydia gets hurt.

Chapter 3-posted by mAu0103. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 2. The Scotts spend some time at the hospital and return home with a healthy, but injured Lydia.

Chapter 4—posted by Kat0507. This chapter is a continuation from Chapter 3. The Scott family make the best of a rainy day and Lucas surprises the family with a visit.

Chapter 5— posted by mAu0103. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 4. Nathan and Haley reflect on what happened after their adventure in the rain and Haley bonds with Lucas.

Chapter 6—**Guest Author Alert**! posted by **Two Bodies One Soul**. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 5. With Nathan home from his business trip, he and Haley take a day to be alone so they can reconnect and have some fun with no distractions.

Chapter 7—posted by Kat0507. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 6. It picks up the next morning.

Chapter 8—posted by mAu0103 (this chapter!). This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 7. It picks up a little while after the reading of Whitey's will. Nathan and Haley are facing a few changes in their lives, when it comes to Nathan's work situation and the result of Whitey's will.

Chapter 9- will be posted by **Kat0507.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Haley sighed contentedly to herself as she let the quietness of the small forest seep into her body. She moved her eyes around and caught a glimpse of a small opening a little further ahead of the tiny path that she was sure had been walked a thousand times before. She reached down and found Nathan's hand when she felt a sudden urge of closeness sweep through her. She turned her head and glanced up at him and returned the soft smile he was giving her by the contact of their hands.

She let out another soft sigh and leaned her head against Nathan's arm as they continued to walk along the small path. She absolutely loved the silence they sometimes shared. It always created a stillness within her that made her feel safe and protected against the rest of the world. It was like they had created their own little universe, in which they entered together when they had important things going on in their lives. It was kind of their way of taking a time out before they re-entered the madness that was real life. Not that the things they had to deal with right now was out-of-this-world big, but it was things that would affect their lives in one way or another. And she felt it was important that this was something they talked about and that, whatever decision they made, was one they both agreed on.

"Where's your head at, Hales?" Nathan squeezed her hand and brought her out of her thoughts with his soft, deep voice.

Haley let out an inaudible sigh and looked down. "Where do you want me to start?" She exhaled and let out a small chuckle.

"It can't be that bad."

"Trust me, you don't want to - oh wow!" She stopped herself mid sentence and couldn't help but exclaim in awe when she saw the scenery that opened up in front of them as they emerged out of the small forest.

They walked over to the edge of a tiny cliff that led down into a small, beautiful lake. Haley couldn't believe that she'd never seen this place before, it was absolutely breathtaking. "Gosh, this is so beautiful! I've never been this far before, it looks so untouched." She let her gaze wander around in absolute awe.

"Yeah, this really is a nice place, huh?" Nathan agreed and backed over to a large rock he'd spotted, pulling Haley along with him, before he sat down with her sideways on his lap.

Haley placed her arm around his shoulder and let her hand move to the back of his neck. She smiled to herself as she let her hand rake through the short hairs at the back of his head.

"It's nice that you let your hair grow back." She said quietly as she kept moving her hand up and down the back of his head. As much as she loved the buzzed cut he'd been having for a while now, she also loved the feeling of his thick hair tickling her palm as she raked her hand through it.

Nathan chuckled lightly. "Thought it was time for a change again, even though I'll be walking around looking like an idiot before it grows back fully." He stated and did a dramatic eye roll, which caused Haley to laugh.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that you don't have to impress the ladies anymore, cause then you'd be in trouble." She teased and lightly nudged his shoulder.

"I might have to get back in the game, when you realize that you don't want to be married to a guy looking like an idiot." He joked back with a small pout.

"Oh, come on! It's not that bad. Besides, and may I add, luckily for you, this nerd kind of has a thing for guys with idiot looking hairdos - or any hairdos for that matter - especially when it's attached to this pretty head." She smiled and cupped his cheek with her other hand, stroking her thumb across his cheekbone.

"So then you wouldn't mind if I bring back the mullet again?" He smirked teasingly at her, knowing very well that she hated his hair when it was long.

"Do you really want to give it a try and see what happens if you do?" She raised her eyebrow at him in a challenging manner with the attempt to look serious, but couldn't hide the smile when she saw the mischievous look on his face. "You wouldn't dare." She then huffed and lightly squeezed the back of his neck.

"Nah, I probably won't, since the market is probably more difficult for a guy to find a new woman when you already have 2 rug-rats which connects you to your former, slightly unstable ex-wife." Nathan teased and chuckled when he saw Haley's astounded expression.

"Nathan Scott, I'll show you unstable if you ever try to pull something like that." She prodded and playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

Nathan let out a chuckle and tightened his grip around her waist before he leaned up and placed a soft kiss at the underside of her jaw. "I'm sure I'll get to meet the unstable at some point, whether I let my hair grow into a mullet or not." He continued to tease her and earned himself a light swat in his shoulder. "But don't worry baby, you wheeled me into your maze a long time ago, and even if I could find my way out, I wouldn't want to leave it for anything - or anyone."

"Good boy." Haley mocked and placed a chaste kiss at his temple while caressing his cheek. "See, that tight leash works like a charm, huh?" She chuckled lightly and let out a short squeal when Nathan squeezed her thigh before he joined in on her laugh, shaking his head in amusement.

"So you want to tell me what's really on your mind?" Nathan spoke up after a while, gently rubbing her thigh.

Haley sighed softly and started to fiddle with the collar of his leather jacket as her eyes wandered around the beautiful scenery that surrounded them. "It's nothing, really. I'm sure I'm just over thinking things as usual." She tried to brush it off, because she knew that it really wasn't that big of a deal. It was only her mind working on high gear trying to handle everything that was going on at the same time.

"Hales, talk to me." Nathan prodded, knowing that whatever it was it would help her to talk to him about it, instead of bottling it up inside of her and make it ten times worse than it probably was.

"It's just…there's so much going on right now, and I don't know where to start. You know how I like to be in control of things." She looked down and rolled her eyes when he gave her a teasing smile.

"Don't I know it." He teased and chuckled when she lightly pinched his neck.

"I know, I worry too much, but I can't help it you know." She shook her head at herself and wished she could be more like Nathan. He never seemed to have any worries or get himself worked up over nothing. It was exhausting at times, but when it came to the well being of her family, she just couldn't seem to stop her mind from mulling, no matter what it was.

"Why don't we start from the top and let's see if we can work through some of it? All jokes aside." Nathan said in a serious tone and smiled reassuringly, wanting nothing more than to help her ease her mind.

Haley gnawed down on her lip and quickly ran through her so-called worries in her mind, starting to feel slightly embarrassed since, technically, they really weren't anything to worry about.

"Hey, as long as it worries you, it worries me too, so please try me." Nathan spoke softly when he saw that she was hesitating. He knew how her mind was working, and she was now at a point where she was contemplating whether or not she should cast it aside and try to let it go, instead of letting him in on her thoughts.

Haley smiled softly at him and placed her hand over his that was resting on her thigh and gave it a tiny squeeze. She would always be amazed at how well he knew her, and sometimes she was sure that he knew her even better than she knew herself. She briefly closed her eyes by the warm feeling that spread through her body by the thought of how considerate and understanding he always was with her, before she looked back into his sparkling, blue eyes.

"There's just so many changes going on right now, in which I know are all good for us, but I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed somehow." She sighed and paused herself for a few seconds before she continued.

"First of all, you're going to this meeting with the school board tomorrow morning about coaching the basketball team, and I know we've talked about it - a lot, but I'm worried that you're only agreeing to do it because of me, and partly because of Lucas and Whitey…" She trailed off and absentmindedly played with the wedding band on his finger. "…I don't want you to settle for something just because I'm scared." She added quietly.

Nathan listened intently to her words and knew she wasn't done talking, so instead of interrupting her, he let her continue while he rubbed his hand soothingly over her lower back.

"And then there's the decision we have to make about Whitey's ranch…I mean, this place is absolutely amazing and I'm honored that he left all of this to us, but it comes with a huge responsibility, and I'm not sure if we'll be able to handle that. Besides, it's farther away from civilization and if we were to move out here, I'm afraid Jamie and Lydia would eventually suffer because their friends wouldn't be close by." Her mind was going a mile a minute now, and she had to take a moment to collect herself. She knew it was stupid to get herself so worked up over this, but whatever decision they ended up with would affect not only them, but their kids as well, and she only wanted the best for her children. They would always be her top priority next to Nathan.

"I know we've barley touched this subject and that we still have to sit down properly to talk this out, which isn't at this very moment of course, but I just want us to find the best possible solution for all of us, especially for Jamie and Lydia." She reasoned and let out a sigh.

Nathan looked up at her and took a hold of her hand, rubbing his thumb across the soft skin of her knuckles.

"There's one more thing, isn't it?" He asked knowing his wife all too well. He couldn't help but smile as a tiny pout slowly formed across her beautiful features.

"How did you know?" She asked, feigning a shocked state by his sixth sense.

Nathan chuckled at her and shook his head softly. "Don't forget that I'm just as upset about this as you are, if not even more. But our little angel is growing up, and we wouldn't want to keep a Scott down, now would we?"

Haley's pout grew in size as she placed her head down on his shoulder. "I know, but I don't want her to grow up just yet. She's my little baby girl and it's a scary world out there, you never know what could happen at daycare. What if she doesn't make any friends? Or what if she'll get picked on? Like Jamie was in the beginning…" She halfway cried and snuggled her face into the crook of his neck.

"I don't think you need to worry about that, you know, with a slugger of a mom that'll always have her back." Nathan chuckled and squeezed her waist.

Haley sat up and mock gaped at him before she shoved him in the shoulder. "Whatever." She huffed. "For your information, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. No one messes with my babies." She joked before she put on another small pout and buried her head back into his neck.

"I know you would, and you know I'd be totally supportive of that." Haley could hear the underlying huskiness in his voice and couldn't help but shiver.

"Mmm, I'm sure you would." She let out small a chuckle followed by a long sigh.

"There's nothing I find more sexy than a protective Haley James." Nathan smirked and placed a soft kiss at her forehead while tightening his grip around her body.

"But listen, she won't start until January, so we'll still have her all to ourselves for almost an entire month, before we have to share her with the rest of the world." He said and felt slightly uneasy by the thought of having to leave her in the hands of someone else, but quickly brushed it off before he continued talking, not wanting to dwell on it more than necessary since it was inevitable no matter how much they disliked the idea.

"And about the other stuff. Don't worry about this property, we'll figure something out. Whether we keep it or sell it, or maybe even leave it to Lucas and Peyton to buy us out, it's still going to be a decision that we both agree on and that will make us all happy." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess there's no point in creating problems before there even are any…" She thought out loud.

"Exactly. Why don't we sit down tonight after the kids are down for the night and go through our options? We could even ask Lucas and Peyton to come over if you want." Nathan suggested.

"Sure, I would rather deal with this sooner than later, so I suppose we can at least discuss it tonight. But maybe we should wait and talk to Lucas and Peyton till after we've reached our own decision? I don't want to lead them on or give them any false hopes in case we end up deciding that we want to keep it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Mmhm, I'm always right." She said and placed a chaste kiss on his neck.

"Well…" Nathan started but Haley cut him off.

"Oh, just shut up and let me have this. For once?" She smiled in satisfaction when she heard his soft laughter, which indicated that he was actually going to let it go this time.

"Fine, but don't get used to it." He joked and closed his eyes when he felt Haley's soft lips leaving another gentle kiss on his neck.

"Thank you." She said in a mocking tone and chuckled lightly before a short silence descended upon them.

"You know…" Nathan started talking after sitting in a comfortable silence with his arms wrapped around his wife, feeling the warmth of her breath against the skin of his neck. "I've given this job thing a lot of thought, hell, I might even have done some soul searching about it, and what I do know for certain is that what I do for a living now isn't the right path for me. I know you think that this is something I do for you, but it's not. I mean, of course it eases me knowing that you'll be more at peace and don't have to worry about me leaving all the time. You will always be the one I worry about, and I'd do anything to make sure that you're safe and happy, Hales, you know that, right?" He paused and took a breath, not really waiting for her to give him an answer, because they both knew that he would do anything for her and their children.

"But you were the one who really opened up my eyes about it and made me listen to my heart. Well, you plus Lucas and Whitey's bullying of course." He made a small joke to lighten the conversation a little, as he didn't feel the need to go too deep into this topic again right now. He smiled to himself when he heard her delicate laugh and quickly kissed the top of her head.

"I still haven't fully decided whether I'm going to accept this coaching position or not, but I need you to know that whatever I'll end up doing will be because of what I want. At the same time, I also need you to be happy about what I'm going to do or where I'll end up, so of course you're a huge part of my decision making. Just remember that I would never settle for something that wouldn't make me happy - no matter what it is." He hoped that he'd managed to ease her mind a little, especially about this job thing, and he hoped that she would let his words sink in this time and trust in what he'd just told her, because he meant every part of it.

He let his hand rub gently up and down her back when he felt her move in an upright position. He met her intense gaze and smiled when she palmed his face, before he felt her lips against his.

"Thank you." She sighed contentedly with a smile after she'd pulled back from his lips.

Nathan opened his eyes that had snapped shut the second he'd felt Haley's lips touch his own, and smiled back at her. "For what exactly?" He asked, not quite sure what she was thanking him for.

"For not settling with me." She whispered and flashed him one of those smiles that made his heart slam hard against his chest every single time.

"That was a no brainer." He spoke in a low voice and captured her lips again in a long, tender kiss.

"Should we head back home and see if Clay and Quinn are still able to keep the little monster in check?" Nathan mumbled reluctantly before adding a couple of more kisses, not ready to let go of the warm, fuzzy feeling that surged through his veins by the intimate moment they shared.

"Mmm, do we have to?" Haley groaned and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck when she felt him start to pull back. "Let's just wait a little while longer, okay?" She barley whispered right before she connected their lips again.

Nathan tightened his grip around her waist as she was slowly and teasingly working over his bottom lip, before she moved to his upper lip and gently raked her blunt nails over his scalp. "I could kiss you forever." He groaned into her mouth and moved one of his hands up the curves of her body before it landed on her cheek, pulling her even closer to deepen the kiss.

Haley knew they needed to go back home soon, but she couldn't control the sudden need she felt for Nathan right now, and a few small kisses simply wouldn't satisfy her at the moment. The heat in her body was rising quickly and she could feel that Nathan was just as lost in the moment as she was.

She felt his tongue trace across her lip and allowed him to enter immediately, and couldn't help but moan out loud when his tongue coupled with hers.

They continued to make out for a few more minutes, completely lost in the feeling of their lips moving so expertly together, before they both pulled back slightly, trying to catch their breaths. Haley leaned her forehead against Nathan's and slowly fluttered her eyes open while her fingers danced gently over the skin in the back of his neck. She could still feel the tingles from their heavy make-out session shoot up and down her spine, which only intensified when her eyes landed on his darkened shade of blues, as he too finally came out of his haze and opened them up. A shiver ran through her body when she thought that this moment, right now, was perfect.

"It's been a while since we did this." Nathan started. "Somehow I feel like we're back in high school again, hiding away so that no one will catch us making out." He smirked and moved his hand to the top of her thigh. "What do you say we continue this to second base, or maybe even third? There's no one around." He proposed in a flirty, yet teasing tone while seductively raising his eyebrow.

Haley narrowed her eyes at him and tried to hide the smile from forming on her lips. "You just had to ruin the moment with your inner, horny teenager self." She playfully swatted him on his shoulder and quickly got up on her feet.

"Oh come on, Hales. I know you want me, and did I mention that there's no one around?" He laughed and shot up from his spot when she made a dismissive wave at him before she started to walk away, her face tinted with an even darker shade of red than it already was from their heated moment.

"Did I tell you how sexy you look when you blush?" He continued to tease her after he'd caught up with her quick strides.

Haley whipped her head to the side and mocked glared at him. "You're not allowed to say anything until we're back home again, okay?" She tried to sound firm, but it was difficult with the constant blushing giving her away, and the way his deep voice kept stirring something inside of her. She'd be lying if she said that she hadn't actually considered his proposition, even if it was only for a fraction of a second, because who could really blame her when her husband were in possession of so many talents and looked the way that he did? But then she'd thankfully remembered that they'd promised Quinn and Clay not to stay too late because they were having a dinner thing later on with an old friend of Clay's.

As they kept walking towards the car, she promised herself to never tell him that, cause she would never hear the end of it. Instead she only smiled to herself and bit down on her lip, as Nathan continued to chuckle softly by how easily embarrassed she got, even when there was no one around to hear them.

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><p>Nathan adjusted his tie as he stood in front of the mirror in their bathroom suite, before he smoothed it out with his hand across his chest and down his stomach. This would have to do he thought as he took one last glance at himself in the mirror and then turned and walked into the adjoining bedroom. His gaze went over to the bed where Whitey's old playbook was laid at the top of the comforter. He halted for a second as he pictured the old man sitting at the swing outside on his porch going through the book with worn out edges, and smiled softly to himself. There were a lot of work and dedication resting at the pages that laid within the covers of that book, and now he was chosen to continue Whitey's great work to a new group of young and eager athletes. And no matter what the outcome of this meeting would be, he felt honored that Whitey had passed on the book to him. A tiny wave of pride washed through him when he thought about the fact that the old man had actually considered him of being worthy enough to continue his legacy. It was a huge responsibility, but as Whitey's words about him having his heart in the right place popped up in his head, he suddenly knew what he had to do. What he wanted to do.<p>

He dragged his hand through his ever so slowly growing hair before he walked out and into the hallway, heading downstairs.

When he came to the bottom of the stairs, he slowed down and smiled by the sound of Haley and Lydia in the kitchen. He shook his head in amusement and couldn't help but chuckle low to himself when he heard Haley talk to their daughter in a serious tone, which was only followed by the toddlers tiny giggles.

"Lydia Bob Scott! Either you put the food in your mouth or you keep it in the bowl." Haley sighed and hunched down to pick up the bits of fruits that were strewn around Lydia's chair on the floor.

"No!" She said and picked up another large piece of apple from her bowl, squeezing it hard in her tiny hand as she slowly raised it above her head in preparation to give it the same fate as the other pieces of fruit.

"Are you giving your mom a hard time again this morning, Lyd?" Nathan spoke up as he entered the kitchen, prepared to play the negotiator between his two girls.

"Daddy!" Lydia whipped her head around to look at her dad, her entire face lit up by the sight of him as she quickly dropped the fruit she held in her hand. Her mischievous plan of torturing her mom already forgotten. "Milk now!" She exclaimed and wiggled in her chair.

Nathan chuckled as he went over to her and placed a kiss at the top of her head. "Yes, I'll get us both some milk. But you have to promise me to eat something too, okay?" He said and ruffled her hair before he turned to face Haley.

"Hey, baby." He said as she got back up with several pieces of fruit in her hands, before he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"I swear she wakes up in the morning with every intention of making my life a living h-e-l-l." Haley sighed and smiled tiredly at him before she walked over to the trash can and threw the fruit away.

She wiped her hands with a towel and felt Nathan's hand brush against her lower back as he passed her on his way to the refrigerator with a chuckle. She turned around and watched as he pulled out a carton of milk.

"It's not that bad, Hales." He said as he turned around and faced her.

"No? Then why do I have a feeling that she's always targeting me with her impossible behavior? You never see her acting like that whenever you're around…" She pouted and walked over to him to adjust the collar of his shirt.

"Well, that's cause I'm her favorite." Nathan couldn't resist teasing her and started to laugh when the pout on her face grew even bigger.

"Not funny." She whined while she continued to straighten out the collar of his white dress shirt. "But sadly it's true…I think she hates me." She looked up at him with sad eyes and let her hand run down the length of his black and blue tie once she was satisfied with the way it looked.

"You know that's not true, I'm just teasing you." Nathan smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. "She can be quite the devil when you're not around too, trust me." He added with a sympathetic look and gently rubbed her arm.

"Daddy, daddy!" Lydia whined impatiently as she kicked her feet into the chair.

"Speak of the devil…" He raised his eyebrow and chuckled as Haley simply smiled and shook her head at the twosome. They really were something.

Nathan walked over the the cabinet and pulled out a glass for himself and one of Lydia's plastic cups.

"So, where's your head at about the meeting?" Haley asked and started to wipe down the counter with a cloth while watching him out of the corner of her eye. Nathan had been vague when they talked about it last night, and even this morning she wasn't sure whether he had made a decision or not. She could see that tiny spark evident in his eyes when he talked about it, and so she was positive that he wouldn't regret accepting the offer. Yet, he was still a little hesitant about giving her a straight answer when she asked him about it in the bathroom earlier.

"Actually…" Nathan started as he walked over to Lydia and handed her the cup of milk. "There you go, munchkin. Try and eat some of the fruit too, okay?" He smiled at his daughter when she happily grabbed the cup with both hands and started drinking.

He turned around and leaned back into the counter and took a large sip of his own glass. "I made a decision right before I came down here." He said and rested his eyes on Haley.

Haley halted her ministrations and turned her head around to look at him. "And?"

Nathan downed the rest of the milk and placed the glass down behind him on the counter and slowly turned his head around and met her eyes. "I've decided that I'm going to take the job." He said and smiled at her. The good feeling of saying it out loud made him even more sure that he'd made the right decision. This would make him stay here in Tree Hill on a more permanent basis, which meant that he'd have more time with Haley, Jamie and Lydia, the three most important people in his life - and he'd still be working with the sport that had captured his heart from the moment he'd held a basketball all those years ago. He was absolutely certain that this was the right decision, both for him and his family.

"Really?" He could feel his heart flutter as one of Haley's big, beautiful smiles lit up her face.

"Really. No more traveling and late night calls, although I'm going to miss the hot phone s-e-x." He smirked and stepped towards her.

"Oh, gee, you say it like it's the greatest loss." Haley rolled her eyes and placed her hands on his shoulders when she closed the distance between them.

"It kind of is." He joked and snaked his arms around her waist.

"Hah! Like the phone actually beats the real thing!?" Haley lowered her voice and looked up at him through her eyelashes while biting her lip.

Nathan let out a low growl by her seductive tone and pressed her further into his body. "No, I suppose it doesn't." He whispered huskily before finding her lips in a soft, yet passionate kiss.

"Mommy, daddy! No kiss!" Lydia suddenly yelled and hit the plastic cup against the chair.

"Oh, gross!" Jamie yawned tiredly as he walked into the kitchen, just in time to catch his parents locking lips.

Nathan and Haley pulled away from each other and exchanged a look before they started laughing.

"Good morning, Jamie. I made you your lunch, it's over there, and there's cereal on the counter next to dad." Haley stepped away from a smirking Nathan, with a light blush covering her face and neck.

Jamie mumbled a thanks and went over to Nathan's side and fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

"Honey, be careful so you don't spill your milk, okay?" Haley walked over to Lydia and tried to take the cup out of her hands.

"No, mine!"

"Okay, fine." She sighed. "Please finish your milk then, so we can go meet Aunt Peyton and Sawyer. Remember, we have a lot on our plate today, so we better get started."

"How does your day look like, Hales?" Nathan asked and bumped his shoulder playfully into Jamie as he too, fixed himself a bowl of cereal.

"I'm meeting Peyton at the mall and thought I'd finish the last bit of Christmas shopping before I'm heading over to the studio; Chris wanted me to sign off on some paper work. I also have to close up the cafe tonight, so I don't know if I'll be able to make dinner today, unless we make it a late one."

"That's fine, I'll take care of it. And don't worry, I won't try something too advanced that might burn down the kitchen." He added and got a laugh out of Haley and Jamie in response.

"Dad, can I ride with you to school?" Jamie shot in.

"Yeah, sure. I'm leaving in about 10 minutes though, so be ready." He said and placed his now empty bowl in the dishwasher along with Jamie's.

"Do you want to try and get some work done on your music too? I mean since you're going over there anyway, you might as well get a few hours in. I'll come pick up Lydia after I'm done with the meeting if you want?" Nathan asked knowing that Haley had been more productive in the music department these last few weeks.

"Umm, I don't know. Why don't you call me later and check where I'm at? I'd halfway promised Quinn we'd have lunch today too, so I don't think there'll be enough time for that." She said and wiped Lydia's face with a cloth once she finished her milk, before she lifted her out of the chair.

"Mommy go now?"

"Soon, honey. Why don't you go and play with your toys for a little while first." She told her and put her down. Her tiny body swaying a little from side to side before she took off towards the living room where the box of her toys were stashed away behind the sofa.

"Okay, sound good. Just remember to tell Peyton about the dinner tomorrow night when you see her. I'll tell Luke later today when I see him, but I don't trust him to deliver the message to Peyton in time." He said jokingly.

"I will." Haley laughed and shook her head as she cleared out Lydia's dirty dishes. "And are we sure about the decision we made about Whitey's ranch?" Haley wanted to make sure they hadn't agreed on something that they might end up regretting later.

"I think it's the best solution for all of us as of right now. But if you want, we can give it another round tonight? Before we talk to Peyton and Lucas about it tomorrow."

Haley let out a silent sigh as she felt Nathan come up behind her and place his hand on her arm, rubbing it gently up and down. "No, you're right. We agreed on it last night, and it's the right thing to do." She said and turned around. "You go meet with the school board first and get that out of the way, and I'll catch up with you later." She smiled softly.

"Okay. Have fun shopping and tell Peyton hi. I'll call you when I'm done." Nathan said and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before he grabbed Jamie's lunch and headed for the door. "Jamie, let's go!" He called out.

"Thanks, I will. Good luck, baby!" Haley called after him before she went back to tidying up the kitchen. This was going to be a long day.

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><p>Haley yawned tiredly as she closed the door behind her. She was finally home after a long and exhausting day, and couldn't wait to hit the sheets. She carried the bags from her earlier shopping into the living room and tossed her purse and jacket on the couch. She was about to grab the bags and take them straight upstairs to put them away, but halted when she heard Nathan in the kitchen. She dropped the bags down on the floor again and walked towards the sounds in the kitchen, raking her hand through her blonde locks.<p>

"Hey." She spoke softly as she rounded the corner and smiled to herself when she saw Nathan standing over the sink washing the pots he'd used for dinner.

"Hey, you're home." Nathan flipped his head around and smiled at her, while he continued to scrub the pot under the running water. He watched as she walked over and sat down at one of the high stools by the counter, before placing her elbows at the surface and bury her face in her hands.

He turned the water off and wiped his hands on a towel before he walked over to the opposite side of the counter where she was sitting. "Long day?" He said and smiled at her when she removed her hands from her face and placed them down on the counter.

"You have no idea." She exhaled and met his gaze. "The cafe was a complete war zone tonight. One of our waitresses had called in sick today, and after Brooke left, it kind of just fell apart." She laughed tiredly.

"I'm sorry, baby. You should've called Jamie and asked him to help you out for a few hours." Nathan said and leaned down on his elbows, taking her hands in his.

"No, I knew he was hanging out with the guys at the river court, and I didn't want to nag him about it. Besides, I thought it was going to settle down eventually like it usually does, but the customers kept rolling in up until we had to close."

"Well, at least it's good for business, right?" Nathan smiled and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "But seriously, Hales. Call the boy next time, the responsibility of working is good for him. He could use the structure in his life." Haley chuckled lightly in response. Jamie was still young, but Nathan did have a valid point. Every kid could benefit from starting to work at an early age, but then again, she knew he already had a lot going on trying to juggle school, basketball and baseball, as well as having some spare time just hanging out with his friends.

"Yeah, I think he'll be alright. I think the weekends are more than enough for him. At least for now." She smiled. "How did it go here by the way? Did Lydia give you any trouble before bedtime?" She asked knowing how their two year old had recently started to refuse wanting to go to bed.

"Her stubborn little self did put up a fight for a while, but she was doomed to lose the battle when I pulled out the secret weapon." He chuckled and softly shook his head when he thought about how feisty she could be sometimes. There was no doubt that she was Haley in a miniature version. But he wouldn't have it any other way. They were both perfect.

"You know that basically means that you lost the fight, right?" Haley raised one of her eyebrows and nudged his hand. "You know she gets the upper hand whenever we allow her to fall asleep in our bed." Haley laughed when Nathan rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand over his neck.

"I know, I know. But no matter what I did, she kept squirming and working against me, and when she started to cry for you I didn't see any other choice." He sighed, knowing that she had to learn to sleep in her own bed eventually, but there was a part of him that found it very hard to resist her - especially when Haley wasn't around. He knew his daughter had the upper hand when he was dealing with her alone. His biggest weakness was his girls, he couldn't deny that.

Haley laughed at his frustrated expression. "It's okay. I would probably have done the same." She confessed to let him off the hook.

"I'm weak, but at least she's asleep now, and Jamie too, hopefully." He said before he straightened himself up and walked back to the sink to finish the dishes he'd started on. "So, apart from a busy cafe, how was the rest of your day?" He asked while he continued scrubbing.

"It was good. You already know that I finished the last of the Christmas presents, so we're all good in that department at least. Chris was being his usual self when I went over there, but that's nothing new." She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "And Quinn told me she's working on a new project for her gallery. She wouldn't tell me exactly what it is, but she seemed pretty excited about it." She smiled to herself. "Did you hear back from the school board yet?" She asked curiously. When Nathan had picked up Lydia earlier he'd only told her that the meeting went well, but the board was going to call him later with the final decision. It seemed like it was basically just a formality, in which they had to discuss it without Nathan's presence.

"No, not yet. I'm sure they'll call me in the morning. But like I said, they seemed very pleased when I gave them the green light, so I assume it's more or less a done deal." He finished the last pot and turned off the water, before he dried it with the kitchen towel and placed into the cabinet.

"So, you're really going to do this? Nathan Scott, Ravens new head coach." Haley said with a smile as she let the idea of it settle within her. She couldn't hide the fact that the thought of him coaching the Ravens made her excited, and at the same time extremely at ease, knowing that he could finally put all the traveling behind him and stay home with his family.

"I guess I am."

"And you're really okay with this, right?" Haley asked again, wanting to reassure that this was something he wanted for himself and not just to please her.

"Yeah, it is. I've given this a lot of thought, and when I thought back to Whitey's words this morning, I felt it, you know. The fact that he chose me to continue his legacy is a big deal and a great honor." He said seriously and held her gaze. "But let's not get carried away before they actually give me the job. Who knows, maybe Michael Jordan will call them tonight and snatch the job from right under my nose." He joked and started to switch off the lights as he suddenly felt the hours of the day hit him.

"Yeah right. Like he could actually stand a chance against the great Nathan Scott." Haley laughed and gave him a playful wink before she got up from the stool. She walked into the living room and picked up the shopping bags and headed slowly towards the stairs. "Oh, by the way. You'll never guess who's pregnant!?" She turned around and grinned excitedly at Nathan who came to a sudden halt and widened his eyes as he was walking towards her.

Nathan's mind started to work immediately as the words slipped out of her. Who the hell was pregnant? Was it Quinn or Peyton? Or maybe Brooke and Julian had managed to beat the odds once again?

He walked over to where she was standing at the bottom of the stairs and stopped right in front of her, searching her face for answers, when the thought suddenly hit him.

"It's not you, is it?" He asked carefully. Wasn't it too soon for them to have another baby? They hadn't really talked about it ever since Lydia was born, but he knew that they both wanted another child at some point, he just wasn't sure if now was the right time. He suddenly felt a little overwhelmed by the thought, and froze for a moment.

Haley eyed him with an amused expression and knew exactly what was going through his head right now. She bit her lip and decided to hold back the answer until they were behind the closed doors of their bedroom. She then turned around and started to climb the stairs with a light chuckle, knowing very well that he'd soon be coming out of his frozen state, demanding an answer. When she was halfway up the stairs, she heard him call after her as he practically ran up the stairs, taking two steps at the time.

"Haley? Are you pregnant?" He called after her when he managed to pull himself out of his thoughts, and realized that Haley was already halfway up the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>; Wow. It's been a while, and somehow I feel a little rusty, but I'm happy to be back in the game.

First of all, I would like to give a big shout out to **Two Bodies One Soul** for her incredible contribution with Chapter 6. Thank you for helping us out with an amazing Chapter, Dawn!

Secondly, I'd like to thank you all for being so patient with me, especially you, Kat. I hope there's still interest for this story, even though it takes some time in between the updates of the Chapters. We appreciate your support and would love to hear your inputs, so don't hesitate to contact us if you have any ideas floating around.

I know the end probably left you with wanting more, and I do have an idea about it in my head, but I'm excited to see what Kat will decide to do about it! I did let her in on my thoughts though, but it's completely up to her now. So stay tuned to her account for the next Chapter...

Thank you for reading, and as always, feel free to let us know what you think!


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